Eleanor the Great

Scarlett Johansson’s feature debut is quite the surprise. It’s a tricky story with an uncomfortable moral quandary and a main character who’s not always so sympathetic. For as charming as Squibb is in the role, Eleanor is a bit of a firecracker, the type that burns those too close to her. She’s mercilessly tough on her daughter, needling and embarrassing her in front of her son, whom Eleanor is much kinder to. She doesn’t shy away from the occasional little white lie, which sets the stage for what’s to come. At first, Eleanor puts up that same tough act against Nina, who, fortunately, isn’t so easily pushed away. In some sense, Eleanor is a character at odds with herself. Still, her loneliness triggers her need to fit in with a group of survivors she doesn’t belong to and eventually, live up to Nina’s desire to tell her story.