Everything is Illuminated - 2005 - Liev Schreiber
The Directorial debut of Liev Schreiber (famous for playing the puppet senator in the remake of the Manchurian Candidate) is full of revelation.
Although the posters are all of Elijah Wood, the standout actor is Eugene Hutz (lead singer with Gogol Bordello). He’s funny, he’s crazy, he talks in Russian, he talks in non-sensical english.
The film starts off playful, with Hutz leading the way, talking of his life as a nightclub dancer.
“Many girls want to be carnal with me… because I’m such a premium dancer!”
and the deleted scenes push this even more.
But soon enough the story morphs into an engaging, emotional journey into history, anti-semitism, and the mystery of our own lives.
I really need to read the book.
It’s a poignant and fun film.
