Eleanor the Great Review
Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut tells a bittersweet story about surviving the loss of loved ones.
June Squibb in Eleanor the Great. Credit: Anne Joyce, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Scarlett Johansson boasts a lengthy list of credits as an actress, having appeared in both critically acclaimed films and box office hits. With Eleanor the Great, she adds the role of Director to her resume. Her work with her actors is the highlight of the film.
In the film, nonagenarian dynamo June Squibb plays Eleanor, a woman who moves back to New York City from Florida when her best friend and roommate, Holocaust survivor Bessie (Rita Zohar), passes away. She accidentally attends a Holocaust survivors’ support group and saves face by posing as a survivor herself, telling one of Bessie’s harrowing stories. When Nina (Erin Kellyman), a journalism student who attended the group, contacts Eleanor about her survivor story, Eleanor’s loneliness compels her to continue the charade. The premise of the film could have easily crossed the line into offensive territory, but it doesn’t.
June Squibb and Erin Kellyman in Eleanor the Great. Credit: Anne Joyce, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The film works entirely because of Squibb's masterful performance. She makes Eleanor's deception feel genuinely tragic rather than exploitative. This isn't someone making light of historical trauma, but a grieving woman so desperate for connection she'll steal her dead friend's pain. Squibb navigates the character's guilt and loneliness with remarkable nuance, making you root for someone doing something fundamentally wrong.
Kellyman matches her as Nina, a young woman struggling to cope with the sadness of her own loss. Their growing bond feels authentic as they find unexpected solace in each other. Chiwetel Ejiofor, despite limited screen time as Nina's news anchor father, delivers a powerhouse performance when playing against Kellyman as a scene partner.
Chiwetel Ejiofor in Eleanor the Great. Credit: Anne Joyce, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Where the film stumbles is behind the camera. Aside from her work with the actors, Johansson's direction feels competent but uninspired, lacking any palpable style, visual panache, or distinctive voice that elevates the material beyond its performances. The cinematography and pacing are serviceable at best, making this feel more like a well-acted stage play than cinematic storytelling.
Still, I admire how Johannson and writer Tory Kamen tackle Holocaust memory in an era when the number of survivors and witnesses is rapidly dwindling. The film treats its subject matter with appropriate gravity, carefully balancing humor with the themes of mourning loved ones and survivors’ grief. I just wish the film had made better use of the visual storytelling tools the medium provides, rather than feeling like a stage play.
Eleanor the Great opens in theaters on September 26, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.
