And everything was lighted up

Adventure tragicomedy "And everything was lighted up"(Other versions of the translation -" All lit up "," Light around ") - is a film adaptation of the novel" Full Illumination "by American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, directed by director Liv Schreiber.

The protagonist of the picture is a young American Jewish collector named Jonathan. He goes to Ukraine to find a woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis during World War II in the small town of Trochimbrod, which was later destroyed.

In search of Jonathan accompanied by colorful representatives of the local population, hired by him. This is translator Alex, his slightly odd grandfather-driver depicting a blind man, and his grandfather's dog Sammy Davis Junior Junior ("Obliging bitch-guide," as her grandfather calls it).

Three travelers and a dog on an old cargo from Odessa to the very heart of Ukraine. All that Jonathan has is the name and photograph of the town where his grandfather was saved. But he still hopes to find this woman and learn more about his roots and the past of his family.

Information about the film

Name: And everything was lit up / Everything is lit up / The light around
Original name: Everything Is Illuminated
Tagline: Leave Normal Behind
Year: 2005
A country: USA
Genre: drama, comedy
Producer: Liv Schreiber
Author (s) of the scenario: Jonathan Safran Foer (author of the original), Liv Schreiber
Cast: Elijah Wood, Eugene Gudz, Jonathan Safran Foer,Yana Khrabetova, Stephen Samudovsky, Lyubomir Deszera, Alexander Horoshko, Djil Kazimirov, Suzanne Khodkova, Boris Leskin, Robert Khitil, Yaroslav Sokhov, Sergey Ryabtsev, Yury Lemeshev, Mickey dog, and others.
World premiere: 3 September 2005
Duration: 106 minutes

Interesting Facts

The screen version has some differences with the book. So, in the book, Alex's grandfather was a Christian, in the film he was a Jew. Also in the book there are some scenes that are in the film.

A group of musicians who meets Jonathan at the Odessa railway station is practically the full composition of a gypsy folk punk band Gogol Bordello. The founder and the soloist of the group is Evgeny Gudz, the performer of the role of Alex.