By Jeffrey Catalano
Assistant Editor
On Friday, January 16, as part of its “Friday Flicks” series, the Mayerson JCC will be showing the 2025 comedy-drama film, “Eleanor the Great,” on the big screen at the J. The screening will last from approximately 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
“Eleanor the Great” stars June Squibb, a 96-year old Oscar nominee and convert to Judaism. She converted to Judaism in the 1950s while she was married to a Jewish acting teacher.
“Eleanor the Great” is directed by Scarlet Johansson, a first-time director better known for her work in front of the camera in blockbusters like Marvel’s “Avengers” series and the latest “Jurassic World” movie. Johansson, like Squibb, is also Jewish.
Noting Squibb’s and Johansson’s Jewishness is critical to the recent movie they made together, “Eleanor the Great,” as it is largely a story centered around Jewish identity. In the film, the nonagenarian Squibb plays a woman slightly younger than herself, 94, who moves to New York, joins a Holocaust survivor support group and begins to lie about being a Holocaust survivor.
The stories she tells are real, but they’re not hers. They’re her friend’s, Bessie’s, an actual Holocaust survivor. Her reasons for lying about her past are complicated, and “Eleanor the Great” explores psyche of someone who could tell such lies.
In addition to Jewish identity, Johansson’s directorial debut tackles themes like aging, grief and friendship. “Eleanor the Great” is a complex, deeply felt film and one of the year’s most interesting dramas.
A donation of $1 is encouraged if you would like to attend this movie event.
