Shadows on the Wall | Eleanor the Great

Eleanor the Great

dir Scarlett Johansson
scr Tory Kamen
prd Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Lia, Keenan Flynn, Trudie Styler, Celine Rattray
with June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, Rita Zohar, Will Price, Lauren Klein, Stephen Singer, Elaine Bromka, Ray Anthony Thomas, Sami Steigmann, Stephen Bradbury
release US 26.Sep.25,
UK 12.Dec.25
25/US Sony 1h38

CANNES FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

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Warmly observant, this witty drama is beautifully anchored in another superbly sparky performance by the great June Squibb. Tory Kamen's script finds intriguing connections between its characters, even if we can't help but wait for another shoe to drop in the plot. And in her directing debut, Scarlett Johansson gently reveals the story in personal ways while nicely placing the events in the context of present-day New York.

Quick-thinking 94-year-old Eleanor (Squibb) has to downsize after the death of her housemate, best friend Bessie (Zohar). So she moves to Manhattan to live with her daughter Lisa (Hecht) and university-age grandson Max (Price). When she accidentally walks into a Holocaust survivor's group, she is taken aback by the honesty and recounts Bessie's emotional experiences as her own. This touches a nerve for journalism student Nina (Kellyman), who wants to include Eleanor in the piece she's writing. And Eleanor is surprised to learn that Nina's father Roger (Ejiofor) is one of her favourite TV journalists.

Of course, we know the truth will eventually emerge, but details along the way keep us engaged. When Lisa mentions a nice assisted living option, Eleanor snaps, "You'd say that about Guantanamo if you thought they had an opening." Eleanor is surprised to connect with Nina, who has recently lost her mother and feels out of sync with life. And her father has repressed his feelings. So even if we know where this is heading, it plays out with earthy humour and understated emotion.

Squibb has such charming energy that when Eleanor says she feels the same as she did when she was 16, we don't doubt it for a second. And she also vividly layers in June's guilt at taking Bessie's narrative as her own. Her joyfully offhanded approach is nicely matched by Kellyman as the inquisitive Nina. Their scenes together highlight the strong undercurrents. Surrounding players add meaning to their own punchy moments, with especially moving resonance from Ejiofor and Hecht.

While the plot is fairly straightforward, the film has some terrific rhythms running through it. There's a wonderful blast of nostalgia as Eleanor digs into memories of her happy decades with Bessie, echoing the Jewish idea that history and people remain alive in memories passed down through generations. Even deeper is the exploration of the conflict between deception and perception, notably in what is intended. So the climactic scenes come with a huge wave of honest feelings.

themes, language 18.Nov.25

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