Jonathan in the meantime finds himself very out of his element as he's forced to share the back seat of Grandfather's tiny car with a dog (or 'seeing eye bitch' as Alex refers to her as) with the curious name of Sammy David Jr. Sporting the Kangol hats, gold chains and gold tooth he's seen on his heroes, Alex is a clubhopping, girl chasing guy who boasts about his 'premium' dancing skills and can't figure out the uptight, vegetarian Jonathan. His English isn't always perfect, but Alex is a huge fan of American pop culture and hip hop in particular and has cultivated his entire look and attitude based upon that love. The reluctant Alex is forced by his family to help Jonathan as a translator, joining his Grandfather (Boris Leskin) on the journey, a stubborn old man who insists, despite clear evidence to the contrary, that he is blind. Needing a guide to try to find the small village his grandfather is from, Jonathan hires a company run by Alex's (Eugene Hutz) family, who specifically assist Jewish people who are searching for their roots in Ukraine. Newly motivated, Jonathan takes the few clues he has, including a photo of his grandfather with a mysterious woman and the aforementioned necklace, and heads for his grandfather's birthplace in Ukraine to find out more about him and the woman in the picture. When his grandmother passes away, it sparks memories of the necklace (complete with an amber incased insect) Jonathan took from his holocaust survivor grandfather's deathbed.

Jonathan seems to have an especially big interest in his own family history, having created a shrine like display of his ziplocked collectibles devoted to his family and pinning them to his wall.

An obsessive collector, he's constantly picking up items that cross his path, and sealing them in ziplock bags.

Always wearing huge glasses and seemingly owning no clothes except suits, Jonathan is extremely quiet and mannered. Elijah Wood stars as Jonathan, a young Jewish American, who we quickly learn is a rather odd fellow.

Everything is illuminated book review