Cannes 2025: June Squibb is perfect in Johansson’s “Eleanor The Great”
by Alex Billington
May 20, 2025
In recent years in the cinema, many famous actors have decided to try the staging. Let’s be honest – not much are good in this area, because it is a whole of entirely different skills and requires more creativity and leadership in addition to the narrative competence. The staging is a art. However, from time to time, we discover that an actor is just as wonderful in the cinema as to play. I am very happy to point out that Scarlett Johansson Joins the small list of formidable actors who are also great directors. His brand new first feature by director is a charming original little film entitled Eleanor the GreatPresented in the United Nations section for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival (next to the beginnings of director of his colleagues Harris Dickinson and Kristen Stewart). The film features the absolutely incredible 94 -year -old actress June squibbits second main role following its exceptional performance in Thelma Last year (which was created at Sundance 2024 and was one of my favorites during this festival). After losing her best friend over 50, she returned to New York with her family and rediscovers a life again in the city.
The greatest revelation of Eleanor the Great is that it has a fairly delicate vanity of the intrigue. The scenario is written by Tory Kamen – It is a story on Eleanor built around friendship, sorrow and forgiveness. When she arrives in New York, her daughter installs her for group sessions in a nearby Jewish community center. She is accidentally pulled in a group of Holocaust survivors and before she knows, she pretends to be a survivor and begins to tell “her” history. But it is actually the real History of her best friend “Bessie”, played by the wonderful Israeli actress Rita Zohar. She also ends up being friends with a young woman named Nina, played by the charming and emotionally conscious Erin KellymanWho decides to write an article on Eleanor’s story for his journalism class. All this puts Eleanor on a perilous path towards troubles once they discovered that she is lying. But as always, these are friends you make along the way. The film begins with an incredible humor with a high voice delivered perfectly by June Squibb, turning into something more deeply moving and emotionally alive at the end. I burst tears in the final act, because there is so much heart to this script even if it is the deception of a funny old lady pretending to be someone else because she is alone.
Eleanor the Great is really something special. This cannot be refused. All those involved should be proud of it. An extremely moving, sensitive and tender film that shows us how kindness and kindness always matter – at any age. And yes, there is a lesson to learn about his lie, but it is a relief to see an example of someone forgiven for their lies and anyway kissed. Johansson’s real competence as a director is not only to obtain these edifying performances everyone in distribution, it is also to shape the cinematographic narration, framing the shots (in collaboration with his DP Hélène Louvart), And edit it all together in a way that advances us warmly by following this story directly in its sincere end. A few pieces of the puzzle are missing, and I wanted to spend even more time spending time with Eleanor and his family, but these beginnings of director are as impressive as they come. There is also a nice score of Dustin O’Hallora This completes the tenderness of history. Both are transformed from Squibb Thelma And Eleanor the Great are memorable. She is one of the big ones – there is no doubt about it. Together, they marry like two distinctly touching films on the majestic magic of old ladies and their endearing and indelible charm. May June Squibb Live Forever.
Alex’s Cannes 2025 note: 9 out of 10
Follow Alex on Twitter – @Firsthowing / Or letterboxd – @firsshowing
 |
