Last night Dan and I watched Everything Is Illuminated, and although I don't want to play the role of a movie critic, it was a thought provoking movie. Perhaps I'll start with the end of the movie. My sister said it had a happy ending. I'm going to have to talk to her about what she means by "happy." I'd hate to see a movie she calls sad. Yet, I have to admit that although I would normally refer to the concluding events of the film as the proverbial "kick in the teeth" so popular in foreign and independent films, I didn't feel as sad at the end of this movie as I did at the end of Kitchen Stories. It certainly didn't feel depressing even though it dealt with the holocaust. And perhaps that's the real charm of the movie. MSN refers to it as a comedy, but in the critic's review Derek Armstrong more accurately calls it a comic drama. At any rate, I thought it was a new look at the holocaust that raised questions about survivor's guilt and highlighted the reverberating effects of war.
I should mention that the language was a bit stronger than I'm comfortable with, but Eugene Hutz stole the show as Alex, Jonathon's (Elijah Wood) interpreter. Next to him Elijah Wood's performance was almost too subtle. And at first, I couldn't help but think of Frodo whenever I saw him. Interestingly, just as the Lord of the Rings shows Bilbo and then Frodo recording their adventures in manuscript form, Everything Is Illuminated is also framed with shots of a hand writing out chapters and ends with a completed manuscript. A ring also plays an important role in Everything Is Illuminated, although this time Wood's journey leads him to a ring (a wedding ring to be exact) buried near a river rather than traveling to a river (of sorts) in order to bury a ring.
If you enjoy something different from Hollywood's normal fare, you'd probably like this film. The cinematography is enchanting, but it also left me wondering if that's what the Ukraine is really like (I think I read somewhere that it was actually filmed in a different country). It was one of those films that I just sort of let wash over me, but there is plenty of additional meaning to uncover and consider. What do the sunflowers surrounding Lista's home represent? Perhaps they are her own living monument to those of her village who died during the war, a way of expressing her sense of loss and her hope for the future. And what about the fact that she's washing white clothing when Jonathan and Alex find her and that she only wears white? Could it be symbolic of her effort to purify the village of the atrocities committed there? When Jonathan arrives home, he sees the faces of those he met in the Ukraine on the people working at the airport. Is this a suggestion that we are often closely connected to those around us even if we don't realize it? This also seems to be supported by Grandfather's decision to name his dog Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. which, given Grandfather's negative comments about Jews, seems ironic at first when Jonathan points out that Davis was Jewish, but gains additional meaning as we get to know Grandfather better. If you get a chance to see it, let me know what you think.
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Did I tell you I'd seen this? I remember thinking when I watched it that I wanted to recommend it to you strictly for the purpose of seeing what you guys thought. I actually ended up watching it twice. Once while Tim was gone and then again when he got back. I'd heard about the book and the "amazing young writer" and I tried reading it once but didn't have a lot of success. I didn't have any idea what the book was about and the narrator made things difficult. I'd really like to go back and read it now that I've seen the movie and at least have a better understanding of the storyline. The movie left me with some questions that I think the book might answer or at least discuss in more depth. On a lighter note, we've added "premium" to our vocabulary. "That was a premium dinner, Katie." "You are a premium kid, Marcus," and so forth. I loved that guy.
That's cool you've already seen it. Alex is probably the funniest guy I've seen in years. I think I've come to the conclusion that I liked it, but I'm still trying to figure out what the message was. And I find your experience with the book interesting because some reviewers seemed to think it was way better than the movie, but I have more confidence in your view of the book, based on my own experience with the movie. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. That's mostly what I wanted to get at with my own blog entry: what everyone else thought about it.
I just had a thought. Let's read the book together and have our own mini book club. We don't need to read it now because I know you're busy with the move and everything, but let me know when you have a free moment and I'll go check it out and then we can read and discuss just like old times (but with no seminar papers).
That sounds like a fabulous idea. Once I get settled in Salt Lake City and I have a library card, we can figure out the details.
oooh me too.... =) I want to rewatch that movie again now. And Alisa, if you want to see a sad movie, watch Turtles Can Fly. I think we've discussed depressing Middle Eastern films before, so that's probably not a new suggestion...
I guess I thought it wasn't sad overall because of how Jonathan and Alex connected at the end of the film. I suppose the sequence of events plays a big role. If the film had ended on the depressing demise of one of the main characters, instead of the newfound insights of the main characters, all their connections and epiphanies would def have been overshadowed by the tragedy of the film.
I really like the part when Alex is talking about what a pimp he is: "I am taller than all the women. The only women taller than me is the lesbians." Somehow that was just really funny. But maybe that's the immature 19 year old in me...
Nah, that's not immature of you. And I do agree that the film didn't leave me feeling depressed, so in that sense it was a happy ending, but that seems like a low threshold for a "happy" ending. All in all though, I did like it, but it sort of took me awhile to come to that conclusion.
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