Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut won’t bust any boundaries, but it’s a satisfying, thought-provoking watch
There’s a well-trodden path in Hollywood of A-list actors trying their hands at directing. Whilst plenty make the attempt, only a rare few succeed. For every Clint Eastwood and Greta Gerwig, there’s a Chris Pine or a Kevin Costner post-Dances with Wolves. Scarlett Johansson is the latest to give it a go with her directorial debut Eleanor the Great. It’s based on a script by writer Tory Kamen, originally called Eleanor, Invisible.
It’s a daring premise for a debut film. The titular Eleanor Morgenstein (played by the incredible June Squibb, still going strong at 96 years old) is an elderly Jewish woman living with her best friend Bessie (Rita Zohar) in Florida. After Bessie passes away, Eleanor moves into her daughter Lisa’s (Jessica Hecht) apartment in Manhattan. Desperately lonely, Eleanor is accidentally invited into a group meeting for Holocaust survivors. She is not a survivor, but her friend Bessie was. In a split-second decision, Eleanor decides to tell Bessie’s story, passing it off as her own. Observing the group is journalism student Nina (Erin Kellyman), still mourning the recent death of her mother. Moved by Eleanor’s tale, she reaches out and the two women begin to form a deep intergenerational friendship. Eleanor’s lie, however, starts to unravel when Nina’s father – acclaimed journalist and news anchor Roger Davis (Chiwetel Ejiofor) – becomes involved.
