Everything is Illuminated : Review

Everything is Illuminated (2005) was a great movie. It's based on the book by Johnathan Safran Foer of the same title.

Each of the three main characters, Johnathan, Alex and Grandfather all have conflicts. They all are internal conflicts about their identity. The final reveal shows that all three are connected to a village called Trachimbrod.

Alex, is part of the family business of being a tour guide. He has aspirations of being a first class accountant. His issue is an identity crisis. He wants to be an American, but rejects being a tourists. Tourists don't belong places. Alex wants somewhere to belong. Surprisingly, he finds his roots. And chooses to live life as one of the Jewish faith. And at the end, it is revealed that he is the one writing the novel. He's also the translator for Johnathan.

Alexander (Baruch), the grandfather, has retired from the family business of helping Jewish families reunite. But his son begs him to take this tour. So he and his grandson, Alex take Johnathan on a tour. Baruch is "blind". He has shed his past of being a Jew to avoid persecution during the second World War. When he discovers his past, he commits suicide, knowing that he has no more skeletons in the closet.

Johnathan, knew about everyone in his family. Except his grandfather, Safran. So, he goes to Ukraine to meet the woman in the picture with his grandfather. Only to find out that she was killed by the anti-semitic army. But, he meets the sister of the woman, Lista. He discovers the atrocities of the war and how lucky his grandfather was to not have died. Through his journey, he learns so much about his familial past. At the end, he brings the earth of Trachimbrod to his Grandfather's grave to complete the cycle of life.

This movie had so much symbolism in it that even if the movie was watched a hundred times, there would still be more not seen.

8.5/100