I haven't read much about the director of this film, but I would guess that he draws on Jim Jarmusch' work as a major influence. Something about the pacing of this film reminds me of "Stranger than Paradise"--not as choppy, but the way the scenes leave you hanging for a second before moving on.
Unlike Stranger than Paradise, however, there is a consistent flow between scenes and the humor is more deliberate. So deliberate, in fact, that many of the scenes will leave you laughing "like crazy man". Particularly funny is the way the young tour guide mangles the English language, using sentences like "Because of my premium break dancing abilities, many women seek to be carnal with me." He asks a post nap Johnathan if he has been "manufacturing Zs". As the film's narrator, we get the hang of his lingo, but it stays funny throughout the film.
Everything is Illuminated tells the story of young Jonathan, played with google eye glasses by Elijah Wood and his search for his families roots in the Ukraine. Accompanying him is the tour guide, his chauffeur grandfather, and the grandfather's dog, who is a character unto his own. Searching for an old Jewish shtetl, or village that has been obliterated by the Nazis during WW2, the characters learn things about themselves and their collective ancestries.
While this film has a surprise of sorts towards the end, it isn't a hugely complicated story, it relies rather on some eternal truths about the nature of families and relationships. This film is definitely not for everyone, but if you are a fan of offbeat humor or a Jarmusch fan, you might enjoy this.
Unlike Stranger than Paradise, however, there is a consistent flow between scenes and the humor is more deliberate. So deliberate, in fact, that many of the scenes will leave you laughing "like crazy man". Particularly funny is the way the young tour guide mangles the English language, using sentences like "Because of my premium break dancing abilities, many women seek to be carnal with me." He asks a post nap Johnathan if he has been "manufacturing Zs". As the film's narrator, we get the hang of his lingo, but it stays funny throughout the film.
Everything is Illuminated tells the story of young Jonathan, played with google eye glasses by Elijah Wood and his search for his families roots in the Ukraine. Accompanying him is the tour guide, his chauffeur grandfather, and the grandfather's dog, who is a character unto his own. Searching for an old Jewish shtetl, or village that has been obliterated by the Nazis during WW2, the characters learn things about themselves and their collective ancestries.
While this film has a surprise of sorts towards the end, it isn't a hugely complicated story, it relies rather on some eternal truths about the nature of families and relationships. This film is definitely not for everyone, but if you are a fan of offbeat humor or a Jarmusch fan, you might enjoy this.