Overview

• The feature directorial debut premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival after a Cannes bow that drew a multi-minute standing ovation.
• Johansson told People she enlisted real Holocaust survivors, with help from groups including the Shoah Foundation, to participate on screen.
• Reviewers single out June Squibb’s performance as a standout, highlighting her comic bite and emotional depth.
• Critics note the film’s central moral dilemma around a character’s false survivor claim and question whether the final act leans into sentimentality.
• Sony Pictures Classics will release Eleanor the Great in theaters on Sept. 26.