Squbb Soars as Eleanor The Great

Having recently experienced family member losses back to back for the last six months (including my father), one learns that grief showup in the most unexpected ways and that sometimes talking about the things that make you sad is a necessity not an option.

Eleanor Morgenstein (June Squibb) after the devastating loss of her bestie Betsy, relocates from Florida to New York City to live with her daughter and grandson, hoping to reconnect with her family. Instead, she feels even more adrift and invisible.

One day she unknowingly wanders into a support group of Holocaust survivors, only to reveal a story bringing her a level of attention she did not intend. Now finding herself caught up in enlivening consequences as a young journalism student (Erin Kellyman) pursues her as a friend and mentor. Once things have gone way too far, Eleanor must confront the truth.  Why does one lie about who they are in the first place.  My father said it best, “…sometimes the lie is better than the truth.” Why do we as a society attempt to bury grief?  Is it because not everybody is who they say they are or does grief just make us selfish? Or, is what we crave most to simply become emotional unbroken?

Scarlett Johansson (In her directorial debut) brings together themes of aging, family, loss and what constitutes deceit, as this story of friendship and history turns into a profound tale of complicated humanity.

Squibb and Kellyman are the dynamic duo we didn’t know we needed.  Each actor, though decades apart in age, are proof that talent doesn’t have an expiration date. Squibb is proving that she is not saving the best for last as her  performance as Eleanor is stupendous on multiple levels. Kellyman embraces that agism divide with Nona and hopefully will inspires other to do so in real life as our elders hold so much wisdom through having lived and experience every visceral situation known to humanity.  Her warmth, grace and heartbreak as Nina is something realistically relatable.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as the overprotective, disconnected, Dad with perfect journalistic instincts provides the story of grief from a parent perspective making it just as ugly and real as one experiences in real life.  All of this is. testament to his perfect emotional arsenal he encapsulates at a moments notice without fear or pretense.  It’s a beautiful sight to behold.

Eleanor the Great is more than a story about grief.  It’s a story of emotional survival when all one wants as they grow old is to be seen, respected and honored for the fullness of the lives they have and continue to live.