After spending decades in front of the camera, Scarlett Johansson is stepping back. The actor has made her directorial debut with Eleanor the Great, a heartfelt dramedy about a fascinating character that recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s a sturdy, conventional project, but it still strikes a chord.

The тιтular Eleanor is played by June Squibb, who continues to prove she has deserved to be a leading lady for years now. Eleanor lives with her best friend Bessie (Rita Zohar), and the two are so close that they even share a bedroom, going through every bit of their days together.

That’s why, when Bessie unexpectedly pᴀsses away, Eleanor is unmoored. Even with just a few short scenes between them, we still feel the depth of their friendship and the full extent of Eleanor’s loss. It makes her next actions a tiny bit more understandable.

Eleanor moves to New York to be with her daughter (Jessica Hecht), who loves her mother but would rather she live in a retirement community. Lonely and looking for a place to belong, Eleanor finds herself invited to a support group, and only realizes too late that it’s for Holocaust survivors. She’s Jewish, but was also born and raised in the Midwest.

June Squibb Elevates Every Part Of Eleanor The Great

Johansson has picked a thorny premise for her debut, with a script penned by Tory Kamen. It’s probably to the film’s advantage that Squibb is the person posing this horrible lie, since her natural charisma makes Eleanor incredibly endearing. We can see that she, like so many of us, is just looking for a new connection, and that she can also use this as a way to keep Bessie’s memory alive, since she was a survivor.

Of course, even when being generous about her intentions, it’s still a horrible lie, and Eleanor’s hand in it only gets worse when she strikes up a friendship with Nina (Erin Kellyman), a journalism student writing an article about Holocaust survivors. Inspired by Eleanor’s (which is really Bessie’s) story, Nina further confides in her and even brings her to the attention of her newscaster father (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Eleanor the Great has a lightness that gives it the impression of being a straightforward comedy, but there’s an undercurrent of melancholy. Grief is something virtually all the characters experience, including Nina and her dad. It adds a somber note to the film, but also an uplifting one. The heart of this story is ultimately about connection in the face of trying times.

The inherent optimism in the story is somewhat challenged by the severity of the subject matter. Johansson smartly stages it so Bessie’s story is always conveyed by her, cutting back to the night when she shared all of her experiences with Eleanor. Though the tail end of each monologue comes from Eleanor, this is still Bessie’s story told in her own voice.

Her anecdotes are, naturally, very dark, and they do mark a strong tonal shift that’s a bit jarring. However, it also gives Zohar an excellent showcase as she tearfully recounts what happened to her and her family. Kamen’s script includes several striking lines that hit me hard, including one where Bessie realizes she’s the only person alive who knew her brother.

Eleanor the Great is a well-constructed movie and a solid directing debut for Johansson. It hits all the beats it needs to and tells an impactful story that will no doubt resonate with a good many people; I heard plenty of sniffling at my screening. It’s the kind of movie you’ve seen a thousand times before, and will also happily watch a thousand times more.

The biggest selling point is Squibb. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she shoots off wisecracks and plenty of grandmotherly affection, and you almost wish you could be friends with Eleanor too. The ending of the film is pretty kind to her, all things considered, but considering how well-developed she is, you’re happy to forgive her too.

Eleanor the Great screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and will release in theaters on September 26.