"Eleanor The Great"Certainly Is

We don’t hear enough stories from the survivors of the Holocaust and that’s sad. Ironically, there are ample biopics about Hitler and that’s even more sad and disturbing.

At the heart of “Eleanor The Great” is the story of “Bessie”(Rita Zohar), a Jewish woman who survived the Holocaust. She and her best friend “Eleanor”(June Squibb) are two spirited nonagenarians living in Florida with vigor. When “Bessie” suddenly passes away, “Eleanor” is devastated. She soon relocates to Manhattan and moves in with her daughter “Lisa” (Jessica Hecht) and her grandson “Max”(Will Price).

“LIsa” wants her mother to have a full life complete with social activity so she signs her up for a singing class at the Jewish Community Center. While observing the class from the hallway, “Eleanor” strikes up a conversation with another woman who assumes she is there for the “group” meeting. 

As it turns out, this “group” is for Holocaust survivors desiring to process their trauma. She tries to leave since she isn’t a survivor but they implore her to stay. This is where she meets “Nina”(Erin Kellyman), a journalism student seeking a subject for her latest article. It was good to see the “Falcon And The Winter Soldier” antagonist stave off typecasting by showing off the range in her character acting chops.

During the group meeting, “Eleanor” begins to tell her story about fleeing Poland, except it isn’t her story but “Bessie’s” story. She remembers all the late nights spent listening to “Bessie” tell her about her brother and the importance of keeping his memory alive. 

“Nina” and “Eleanor” spend more and more time together mainly for research but it slowly becomes a friendship as “Nina” opens up about her mother. She has been grieving silently, on her own since her father, “Roger”(Chiwetal Ejiofor) refuses to speak about his wife. Mr. Ejiofor’s role is intermittent but significant, proving the old adage,“There are no small parts”. 

Eventually, “Nina” is devastated when “Lisa” reveals the truth about her mother converting to Judaism only after marrying her father and isn’t from Poland or a Holocaust survivor. “Nina” feels publicly humiliated and betrayed by someone she trusted with her feelings about her mother’s passing. Without allowing “Eleanor” to explain, their friendship is abruptly dissolved.

June Squib is a treasure. She’s one of those familiar actresses you see from time to time but can’t quite place in which movie. Her performances are memorable and she does not disappoint here. Carrying an entire film at 93 years old is nothing short of remarkable.

“Eleanor The Great” is one of a spate of films featuring veteran character actors as the principal protagonists driving the plot. It is a feel-good story that explores how we cope with grief and loss while educating us about the horrors of the Holocaust. It is a well-acted film with a good pacing. It waxes melancholical at times but quickly moves on to its lighthearted tone. This is Scarlett Johansson’s debut feature length film. Once again, the Avengers heroine gives audiences a reason to cheer her on with this intergenerational project.