File Under ‘Favorites’: EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED

I bought thirteen tickets for friends and family to go to an amazing concert this week – the sort of concert that leaves you hoarse, sore, and sweaty. As the show was drawing to a close, I couldn’t help but think back to what brought me there in the first place, since the band I was watching was a bit lesser-known. The band is Gogol Bordello, and what brought me to them was EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED.

The movie stars Elijah Wood as Jonathan, a young man they call “the collector” since he collects all manner of mementos from his family’s life – photographs, jewelry, dentures…almost anything really. His quest to discover his family’s history takes him to Ukraine, where he meets Alex (Eugene Hutz) and his Grandfather (Boris Leskin) – his tour guides who seem too surreal to be true. For starters, Grandfather drives the car even though he is blind. It’s alright though – he only thinks he’s blind. Grandfather is always accompanied by his deranged seeing eye dog, Sammy Davis Junior Junior (no – that’s not a typo). Alex, on the other hand, is in a whole different realm of absurdity. He is obsessed with American culture, but seems to be about ten years behind the times. He also enjoys using big english words when he speaks, which makes him sound like he’s typed shift+F7 a few too many times. For example: “many girls want to be carnal with me, that is because I am such a premium dancer”.

As the lead singer of Gogol Bordello, Eugene perspires confidence. His every move solidifies him as the coolest person in the room. Personally, I believe his personality stems from his mustache, the way Samson’s strength was his hair. Eugene usually sports a handlebar worthy of Yosemite Sam, though he shaved it for the movie. Watching him act as Alex though, is a big departure from watching the band perform. In the movie he plays an awkward young man, a person who while he fancies himself a player in his hometown of Odessa is really just an average person with lofty illusions of grandeur. He is softly curious and slightly fragile. Eugene hadn’t done much acting before this role, so to see such tenderness in a rookie is worth the price of a rental alone.

What makes the movie one of my favorites is how it starts off so funny, but subtly takes a turn and becomes something far deeper than expected before you realize what’s happened. While it starts out as your standard fish-out-of-water story, it turns into a tale about what happens when we look closer at where we came from.It explores the idea that we may think we know who we are, but we can often be surprised how much everything is illuminated in the light of the past. As a band, Gogol Bordello bring this philosophy into their music. They describe themselves as “gypsy punks”, and their music is very eastern European…but done so with an infusion of New York City punk. By embracing their entire lineage from Ukraine to America, they come up with something truly unique, much like the movie itself.

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED sort of slipped under the radar in 2005 after faring very well in various film festivals. Since then, it has become one of my favorite titles to recommend. The movie features some of Gogol Bordello’s music in the soundtrack, and they even make a slight cameo on a railroad platform. If those fiddles and accordions get your toes a-tappin‘, check out the band’s recent releases for more of the same. As for concert tickets, thirteen is my maximum – you’re on your own.