As an actress, Scarlett Johansson has proven to be a visionary in film throughout the past couple of decades. With roles in movies like Marriage Story and Her, she has shown herself to push film to emotional heights that not many other actors could achieve, so it is no surprise that she has finally taken on the role of director in her debut, Eleanor the Great. 

Eleanor the Great stars June Squibb as Eleanor, a 94-year-old woman who moves in with her daughter after the death of her close friend. After accidentally joining a Holocaust therapy group, she meets a 19-year-old journalism student and becomes the subject of the paper she is writing about Holocaust survivors. While the two immediately become friends due to their shared trauma of losing someone close to them, there is one problem: Eleanor was never in the Holocaust. 

June Squibb continues to show at the ripe age of 95 that she is more than capable of handling a lead role. With Thelma and now Eleanor the Great, she has expressed her capabilities and range as an actress that most women 30 years younger than her couldn’t achieve. She plays Eleanor as having many old-person stereotypes, such as stubbornness, but her portrayal adds so much life to the character. Despite going through a horrible loss and struggling with her identity, the energy and empathy she brings to the character make for a pleasant watch.

Erin Kellyman also gives a standout performance as Nina, a college journalist writing a piece on Eleanor. Her chemistry with Squibb makes for many of the film’s funniest moments, but it’s their emotional connection to one another that makes their performances so strong. Nina lost her mother just before meeting Eleanor, which allowed them to become close to one another almost instantly. They also struggle to cope with their loss to their families, making Eleanor and Nina’s warm embrace of each other all the more comforting. While Squibb gives the strongest performance in the film, Kellyman is not far behind.

Dramas tackling grief have been done countless times, but what makes Eleanor the Great stand out is how it ties into ideas of identity and connection. The film depicts grief as something that takes hold and strips away one’s true self, allowing for the absence of individuality. The characters in the movie represent this in a dark, but somehow beautiful manner, with Squibb portraying these aspects perfectly through the retelling of her dead friend’s experiences in the Holocaust. 

Nina and her father, Roger (Chiwetel Ejiofor), also act as physical embodiments of grief and trauma. Nina becomes enamored by Eleanor’s story, which strips away the sadness she has for her mother’s death in favor of another’s story. Roger refuses to say his wife’s name, instead focusing solely on his career as a news anchor, which deviates from his genuine emotions. Although the two are at odds with each other for most of the film, they are going through the same grief and having the same reactions to it, making for a drama worth investing in.

The film takes a straightforward approach to telling the story, with Johansson’s direction giving the film an easy-going nature while hammering down the emotional moments in a hard-hitting manner. There are multiple monologues about the Holocaust experience that feel like they are taken straight frm someone who lived through it, which not only shows how strong first-time screenwriter Tory Kamen’s writing is, but also Johansson’s strengths as a director. While most of Eleanor the Great plays as a comedy, many shifts to drama give the film a nuance that otherwise wouldn’t be there, and much of that is because of what Johansson brings to the film.

The straightforward storytelling is also one of the film’s most significant weaknesses. While the predictable structure makes the story more tangible, it sometimes comes off as a bit stale. The film has an interesting set-up, but the middle of the film plays mostly as filler until the main reveal happens. Although the characters are likable enough to make the moments where nothing happens engaging, the structure was not as strong as it could’ve been.

The script and performances convey much of the film’s meaning and purpose, but aspects like the cinematography and editing don’t do much to elevate the story. The camera compositions lack individuality, serving solely as a means to capture the performances rather than possessing any artistic value. The editing is strange at times. While there are moments, such as the retelling of the Holocaust experience, where the editing gives a voice to the survivors in a satisfying manner, there are other times where the editing lacks purpose. There are times when a shot lasts way too long, and others are cut shorter than they needed to. The inconsistency with the editing made for a frustrating experience at times, but it wasn’t bad enough to ruin the film.

Eleanor the Great may not be the most originally structured or expertly crafted film of the year, but it provides enough depth and likable performances to make it worth a watch. Scarlett Johansson shows in her debut film that she is more than just an incredible actress, but a filmmaker who understands the craft. 

Eleanor the Great will be in theaters nationwide on September 26.

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