Illumination

First, Jonathan Safran Foer is one of my favorite authors. I think that Everything Is Illuminated, as a film, beautifully and accurately captures what the author was trying to give the audience: a shared experience of pain and self-discovery. I think one of the reasons I so love this story is that I have never been aware of my family's own history. Not knowing where you come from and feeling alone is something that is painful, yet full of possibilities. The character who is searching not only shines a light on his own past, but also touches deeply on the past of the Ukranian family that is guiding him. It really shows how the histories of a people, a nation, and even strangers are extremely intertwined and in order to understand yourself you need only to look at those people around you, who have similar stories and similar scars. Jonathan collects all of these and is able to somehow piece them together. I love this film.