jazzeum
Four Star General
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
- Messages
- 39,131
I saw this movie last night on one of the HBO channels and I have to say it's one of the most moving movies I've seen in a long time. I had never heard of it even though it came out in 2005.
The plot is generally this: Jonathan (Elijah Wood), a young Jewish American who is a collector of things, flies to the Ukraine in search of a woman who helped his grandfather escape Europe during World War II. He has come to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather's life. To this woman is due much gratitude, because Jonathan's grandmother passed along the belief that the Ukraine treated Jews so badly that if the Nazis invaded, it might be an improvement. He has a photograph and the name of a village. He hires the Odessa Heritage Tours, made up of a gruff old man and his English-speaking grandson. The three, plus grandfather's deranged dog (who is named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.), travel in an old car from Odessa into Ukraine's heart.
The first third of the movie is actually quite funny as they look for Trachimbrod, the hamlet where his grandfather comes from. However, the last third turns quite solemn as the three of them finally locate the village and what it holds.
Jonathan is the hero of the film but probably the real hero of the film is the grandfather, unless by default it is the old lady, who is a collector, too. For Grandfather, this is as much a journey of discovery as it is for Jonathan, and the changes that take place within him are all the more profound for never once being referred to in his dialogue. He never discusses his feelings or his memories, but in a way he is the purpose of the whole trip. The conclusion he draws from it is illustrated in an image that, in context, speaks more eloquently than words.
I don't want to say any more in case you want to see this movie but it was a very moving film and I highly recommend it. It is one I intend to purchase.
After seeing this movie, it made me think about making a similar trip to Eastern Europe to find the roots of my family.
The plot is generally this: Jonathan (Elijah Wood), a young Jewish American who is a collector of things, flies to the Ukraine in search of a woman who helped his grandfather escape Europe during World War II. He has come to the Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather's life. To this woman is due much gratitude, because Jonathan's grandmother passed along the belief that the Ukraine treated Jews so badly that if the Nazis invaded, it might be an improvement. He has a photograph and the name of a village. He hires the Odessa Heritage Tours, made up of a gruff old man and his English-speaking grandson. The three, plus grandfather's deranged dog (who is named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.), travel in an old car from Odessa into Ukraine's heart.
The first third of the movie is actually quite funny as they look for Trachimbrod, the hamlet where his grandfather comes from. However, the last third turns quite solemn as the three of them finally locate the village and what it holds.
Jonathan is the hero of the film but probably the real hero of the film is the grandfather, unless by default it is the old lady, who is a collector, too. For Grandfather, this is as much a journey of discovery as it is for Jonathan, and the changes that take place within him are all the more profound for never once being referred to in his dialogue. He never discusses his feelings or his memories, but in a way he is the purpose of the whole trip. The conclusion he draws from it is illustrated in an image that, in context, speaks more eloquently than words.
I don't want to say any more in case you want to see this movie but it was a very moving film and I highly recommend it. It is one I intend to purchase.
After seeing this movie, it made me think about making a similar trip to Eastern Europe to find the roots of my family.