spoiler a jewish frodo . yep and that will be elijah wood again . ever since the conclude part of lord of the ring and elijah wood a frodo have find it increasingly difficult to get away from that major role . play a football hooligan and a psychopath and now a young jewish american and wood have try any route he can to escape this typecasting . now and with everything be illuminate he might finally have achieve this . play a role which isn not as radical a other effort and he truly get to the soul of his character . still and it isn not like wood do this alone . aid by a magnificent adaptation by first time directer liev schreiber and a wonderful performance by newcomer eugene hutz and wood have find a magnificent production to spread his wing . everything be illuminate be a magnificent and move piece of cinema . jonathan safran foer ( wood ) and a young american jew and set out to the ukraine to find the mysterious girl who rescue his grandfather and help him get to america . arrive in the country and jonathan meet the all talk and all dancing alex ( hutz ) and his racist grandfather ( boris leskin ) . travel across the country and the three slowly learn more and more about the history and relation that alex and jonathan never know exist . it a strange feeling when the film progress into it second chapter ( it be actually divide into four overall ) . the first part and whilst occasionally a bit funny and be mostly serious and intense . so when we be give a brief history of alex and his family in the second part and to switch from serious to hilarious be a weird step . it doesn not quite work and but a the film progress and it definitely learn it lesson a this mix of humour and sadness merges finer a time pass . to the ultimate credit of everyone involve and a the story do continue and so do we begin to fall for the character more and more . elijah wood be magnificent and boris leskin be so intense and strong that it raise question why hollywood have never properly notice him . most notable of all however be newcomer eugene hutz . play an intensely troubled character and hutz be absolutely brilliant . he show the split between his relative and the real world with almost perfect skill and and when his character be communicate with wood and you genuinely connect with him on a deep level . without hutz and the story be so strong that the film would still be magnificent and but with him and it hit the next level . a a debut work for actor turn director liev schreiber and the story be also a brilliant piece to start . a work of passion ( schreiber grandfather himself an immigrant to america ) and he manage to truly embrace the emotion of the content and and by present u with some truly beautiful scenery and some magnificent shot and he manage to really hit home . the final half hour in particular be so beautifully create and that it a challenge for a tear not to form in any viewer eye . it be a move story and and with schreiber help and it become even more powerful . construct with love from a passionate director and everything be illuminate be a beautiful piece . a road story with a difference and it be magnificently act and wonderfully write . it a film that everyone should see and and it be the perfect way for elijah wood to finally lay frodo to rest .