the movie everything be illuminate come from first time writer director liev schreiber and adapt jonathan safran foer first novel . the book be ambitious and sprawling and it magical realist element and vivid use of language seemingly impossible to represent on screen . the movie and wisely and attempt less . while the end result be not a wildly original a the novel and it still an accomplished movie about a strange eastern european road trip and or and a one of the character would have it and a very rigid search . that character be alex ( eugene hutz ) and a young ukrainian man who love american pop culture but can not seem to get the english language straight . nevertheless and his grandfather ( russian actor boris leskin ) and who run a tour company cater to american jew and convinces him to serve a a translator for jonathan ( elijah wood ) . jonathan be investigate his family history and and specifically try to find the woman who save his grandfather from the nazi . more than one family secret get reveal during their quest . the movie jonathan ( not to be confuse with the author of the novel ) be a semi kleptomaniacal weirdo who steal his own grandmother denture to add to his collection of family thing . wood quiet and wide eyed and earnest manner work very well in this role . hutz make an impressive debut a the loose limbed and easygoing alex . his malapropism be hilarious and but he be also able to pull off the character grow self awareness . the dog mikki be very funny a the demented sammy davis jr. jr. and and one of the few movie dog i have ever see that isn not cloyingly cute and precocious . everything be illuminate eventually put the holocaust on a human scale and ask u to remember it not a a general event and but a million of specific and small tragedy . reminiscent of a european movie and it also ponder the effect of past event on present day young people like jonathan and alex . with it original perspective and strong performance and some very striking visuals and everything be illuminate be great work for a first timer and and hopefully schreiber will continue to direct movie .