Rating of
4/4
Everything IS Illuminated
Alan @ Transbuddha - wrote on 12/23/08
Strange. Quirky. Moving. Poignant. Wonderful. There are so many words to describe Everything is Illuminated that I find it hard to choose them. It is simply one of the best movies of 2005.
The quirky nature and look of the film reminded me of recent films like Big Fish and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. For me the difference was the emotional center of the film; it isn’t only about being strange and quirky, but it’s also about a meaningful and emotional journey that slowly unfolds before our eyes.
Sure we are given absurd comic events and odd visual settings, but its the heart of the picture that makes the movie so remarkable and memorable. Everything from the music to the odd characters and scenery add to the flavor of the story, but they never intrude too far on what is a very human story about searching through the past of someone you love not knowing exactly what you may find.
This is one of those movies where the journey, for all the characters, is much more important than the destination. Each character comes to find some form of understanding, peace, or knowledge through the travel. I can’t recommend this film highly enough. It is one of the best, if not the best, films of the year. Its offbeat and strange nature will probably stop it from getting the praise and attention is so richly deserves. If this movie is playing at a theater near you please go see it rather than a big budget movie playing in the next theater. This my friends is cinema in the truest and best sense of the word; it needs to be cherished.
