Scarlett Johansson’s Directorial Debut “Eleanor the Great,” Starring 95-Year-Old June Squibb, Is One of Cannes 2025’s Best Films

It is not uncommon for an actress to become a director. In Cannes, for this 78th edition, two Hollywood stars are taking the plunge: Kristen Stewart and Scarlett Johansson. Curiosity is great, especially when it comes to two of the most popular actresses in American industry.

To measure the craze, we had to observe the horde of spectators who came in number to discover Eleanor The Great by Scarlett Johansson this Wednesday, May 21 at 8:30 am. Actress From a very young age, the American has worked with many major filmmakers, on blockbusters as more intimate projects. But does this transition succeed?

It’s simple: Eleanor The Great is one of the best films screened in Cannes in 2025. The story follows a 94-year-old grandmother, Eleanor (June Squibb), who, after the death of her best friend, moved to Manhattan to live with her daughter and her grandson. While she is part of an association to break her solitude, Eleanor lies and pretends to be a survivor of the holocaust using the history of her deceased friend.

TriStar Pictures

Simple, but of great efficiency, the feature film seduces by his humor, his sincerity but also his total absence of judgment towards the main character. Eleanor The Great is interested in the mechanism of lie and tries to understand the motivations that push some people to deceive others.

A great actress

The film revolves around a great friendship between the grandmother and a young journalism student (Erin Kellyman) interested in her false past. And despite the lie of heroin, spectators develop a real sympathy for Eleanor. A magic that operates in part thanks to the interpretation of the main actress June Squibb95, as funny as it is touching.

There is no doubt that Scarlett Johansson was inspired by his long experience in front of the camera to direct these actresses with a master’s hand. Eleanor The Great is a sweet film, which is good, signing the promising start of a new chapter for his filmmaker.

Eleanor The Great, presented in the Un Certain Regard section, soon in the cinema