Everything Is Illuminated
There are many areas of Eastern Europe that are full to the brim with history that is left off the general curriculum. The horrors of communist Russia were most rancid and it is only recently that I have begun to study them. Anne Applebaum’s ‘Gulag’ filled my mind with all sorts of awareness regarding the rise and fall of the U.S.S.R and it has become a subject of my deepest interest. My knowledge of Russia and the European countries that communism affected was very little until I moved to Poland. But even now, neighbouring countries such as the Ukraine and Belarus seem utterly distant to me.
‘Everything is Illuminated’ is far from a fact flaunting history lesson, although it does sit comfortably in the subject range of which I am most interested. Even though this elegantly crafted adaptation was a hit on the big screen, it is a seeming rarity. A heart-warming drama set in the Ukrainian countryside with no other than Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello as the humble narrator. The film (based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel of the same name) follows a moving tale about an American Jew who travels to the Ukraine in order to discover the secrets of his grandfather’s escape to the States during World War 2. Although the plot drips with coincidence, the splashes it formulates are both informative and comical. Mathew Libatique brings the rich landscapes and charmless Ukranian labourers to life with his warm and sensitive use of the lens, portraying the country as a startlingly beautiful place (even though the film was shot in the Czech Republic). The film is afloat with tit-bits of historical information and enriching subplots that make for truly remarkable viewing. I am still hungry for information, but while books and documentaries may present the facts, it is the feature film that provides the touching tales and gorgeous backdrops.
To Watch: Harvest Of Despair, Freedom Had a Price, 89 Millimeters
Copyright Daniel Emmerson 2008 all rights reserved
