Scarlett Johansson’s Cannes Film Tackles Grief, Forgiveness/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Scarlett Johansson premiered her first film as a director, Eleanor the Great, at Cannes 2025. Starring June Squibb as a grieving woman who impersonates a Holocaust survivor, the film explores loneliness and empathy. Johansson’s debut blends humor and humanity, drawing acclaim on the Croisette.
Scarlett Johansson’s Cannes Directorial Debut + Quick Looks
- Johansson debuts as director with Eleanor the Great at Cannes.
- Film stars June Squibb, 94, as a lonely woman in New York.
- Story tackles grief and empathy, blending comedy and character drama.
- Johansson addresses modern empathy crisis, seeks forgiveness themes.
- Squibb receives standing ovation alongside Johansson in Cannes.
- Sony Pictures Classics to distribute the film at a later date.
- Johansson also stars in Jurassic World Rebirth, out this summer.
- Director credits her bold career shift to growing confidence and creative control.
Scarlett Johansson’s Cannes Film Tackles Grief, Forgiveness
Deep Look
CANNES, France — Scarlett Johansson officially stepped into the director’s chair at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival with Eleanor the Great, a heartfelt, comic drama about grief, empathy, and human imperfection. The film screened as part of the Un Certain Regard sidebar and immediately drew attention for its tender tone and standout performance from 94-year-old star June Squibb.
In Eleanor the Great, Squibb plays a lonely widow who, devastated by the loss of her best friend (played by Rita Zohar), relocates to New York. There, an accidental visit to the wrong meeting at a Jewish Community Center leads her to falsely adopt her friend’s identity as a Holocaust survivor. The story teeters on the edge of moral failure, building toward a climax where Eleanor must confront the consequences—or perhaps be spared them.
Johansson explained the emotional underpinning of the film in an interview shortly after the Cannes premiere.
“There’s a lack of empathy in the zeitgeist. Forgiveness feels less possible in the environment we’re in,” said Johansson.
Known globally for her acting career, Johansson, now 40, described Eleanor the Great as the realization of a longtime dream. Having spent decades in front of the camera, often working with auteurs like Spike Jonze, Noah Baumbach, and Wes Anderson, she said the desire to direct has been present for years.
“Whether it was reading something and thinking, ‘I can see this,’ or being on a set and directing out of necessity — the instinct was always there,” Johansson said.
Her Cannes appearance followed a whirlwind week that included hosting the Saturday Night Live season finale. Next month, she’ll appear in the blockbuster Jurassic World Rebirth—a role she pursued purely as a longtime fan of the franchise.
While she continues to star in major releases, Johansson has increasingly taken control behind the scenes. She produced Eleanor the Great, as well as Black Widow and Fly Me to the Moon, and has challenged corporate giants to defend her rights—most notably winning a pay dispute with Disney during the release of Black Widow and confronting OpenAI over a voice model that resembled her own.
Confidence, she says, is what allowed her to finally take the leap into directing.
“Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do this,” she admitted. “At some point, I stopped worrying about not working or not being relevant. That was liberating.”
Still, self-doubt lingers, even with her recent high-profile roles.
“Doing Jurassic, there were plenty of moments where I thought, ‘Is this working?’ But I saw the film and—yes—it works.”
As for Eleanor the Great, early reactions have been strong. Squibb, now 95, stood alongside Johansson to receive a warm standing ovation at the premiere—a moment the director described as unforgettable.
“Holding June in that moment, just the pureness of her joy—it was very touching,” Johansson recalled. “It makes it less personal, somehow, because it’s hard for me to absorb all of it.”
The film contains personal touches as well. One scene includes a subtle joke about Staten Island—home to Johansson’s husband, SNL star Colin Jost. “I had to apologize to my in-laws for that line,” she joked.
Also featured is a poster for Crumb, a nod to her early role in the 2001 cult hit Ghost World, loosely based on work by the underground cartoonist.
Reflecting on her long career, Johansson acknowledged how her early roles cast her as older characters even as a teen, which may contribute to the perception that she’s been in the spotlight for decades.
“Sometimes I wonder if people expect me to be in my 70s already,” she quipped. “But I was just a teenager when I filmed Lost in Translation.”
Now entering a new phase as a filmmaker, Johansson’s Eleanor the Great marks a poignant, timely exploration of human flaws and the possibility of forgiveness—a directorial debut that’s as moving as it is resonant.
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