---
title: "Loneliness And Borrowed Memory: ‘Eleanor The Great’ And The Ethics Of Storytelling"
description: Scarlett Johansson’s ‘Eleanor The Great’ sees June Squibb play a lonely nonagenarian whose borrowed Holocaust story tests truth, ethics and our duty to memory.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-09-26T11:12:01.000Z
updated: 2026-03-31T13:19:02.773Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/loneliness-and-borrowed-memory-eleanor-the-great-and-the-ethics-of-storytelling
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/eleanor_the_great_scarlett-johansson.webp
categories: Culture & Society
content_type: Analysis
region: New York
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
---

Eleanor Morgenstein sits in a circle of Holocaust survivors, her voice steady as she describes cattle cars and selection lines. The 94-year-old’s memories are vivid, her pain authentic—except they belong to her late friend Bessie, not her. In Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut ‘Eleanor The Great’, this moment crystallises a moral knot that many families will recognise: when grief drives someone to tell another person’s story, what does that say about our duty to truth and the social supports that failed them first? As we explore [the power of authentic storytelling](https://richwoman.co/article/a-new-billboard-on-times-square-how-one-woman-s-adversity-became-the-spark-that-changed-every), Eleanor’s borrowed trauma raises profound questions about memory, authenticity and belonging.

## A Film That Asks Hard Questions About Borrowed Trauma

‘Eleanor The Great’, released today, stars Oscar nominee June Squibb as Eleanor Morgenstein, a grieving nonagenarian who accidentally joins a Holocaust survivor support group after her best friend Bessie’s death. Directed by Johansson and featuring Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, Rita Zohar and Chiwetel Ejiofor, the film follows Eleanor as she moves to New York with her daughter Lisa, seeking connection in her profound [loneliness](https://richwoman.co/article/ai-actress-tilly-norwood-sparks-actor-revolt-as-actors-fight-over-consent-and-what-counts-as-). When Eleanor begins sharing Bessie’s memories as her own, she finds the belonging she craves—until journalism student Nina takes interest in her ‘story’ and threatens to broadcast her fabrication to television audiences.

Critics have struggled with the film’s tonal choices. [The Guardian describes](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/eleanor-the-great-review-june-squibb-scarlett-johansson-directing-debut) the premise as ‘misjudged and naive regarding its Holocaust theme’, whilst [The AV Club calls it](https://www.avclub.com/eleanor-the-great-review) ‘insultingly syrupy’. The Boston Globe noted the film’s ‘naive and misjudged treatment of the ethical issues surrounding Eleanor’s deception’. These responses highlight a fundamental tension: Squibb delivers a warm, engaging performance that invites sympathy, whilst the premise raises uncomfortable questions about appropriating trauma.

## Performance Meets Ethical Complexity

Squibb’s screen presence remains the film’s strongest asset. The 95-year-old actress, whose late-career prominence includes an Oscar nomination for ‘Nebraska’ and last year’s action-comedy ‘Thelma’, brings her signature blend of tartness and vulnerability to Eleanor. Like other [women who’ve found freedom and authenticity later in life](https://richwoman.co/article/the-price-of-perfection-finding-freedom-at-66-and-standing-up-to-hollywood-s-beauty-rules), Squibb’s continued excellence challenges Hollywood’s ageist assumptions. In interviews, [Johansson told NPR](https://www.npr.org/2025/09/25/nx-s1-5553555/scarlett-johansson-june-squibb-on-eleanor-the-great) her goal was for audiences to ‘feel compassion and empathy for Eleanor’s motivations, rooted in grief and loneliness’. Squibb praised Johansson’s leadership, describing the directing experience as ‘a joy’.

Johansson’s choice to emphasise Eleanor’s humanity whilst seeking audience sympathy reflects a director wanting to explore grief’s complexities. Yet critics argue this approach sidesteps harder questions about truth, memory and accountability. The Guardian notes the film’s ‘sentimental tone fails to adequately engage with the gravity of appropriating a Holocaust survivor’s story’. Critics suggest Johansson opts for uplift over interrogation, smoothing over darker ethical questions that might have made for a challenging but honest film.

## The Stakes Of False Testimony

Eleanor’s behaviour—claiming another woman’s Holocaust testimony as her own—represents a particularly sensitive form of deception. The film shows how this lie begins accidentally but grows deliberate as Eleanor enjoys the community and recognition it brings. The fabrication escalates when Nina, grieving her own mother’s recent death, begins documenting Eleanor’s false testimony for both academic work and potential television coverage.

This premise arrives at a crucial moment for Holocaust memory. [Claims Conference data from 2024](https://www.claimscon.org/demographics/) shows roughly 39,000 Holocaust survivors remain in the United States, with a median age of 87. The population is declining rapidly, with 70% expected to die within the next decade. [Antisemitic incidents have reached historic highs](https://www.adl.org/resources/reports/antisemitic-incidents-in-the-united-states-2023), making accurate preservation of survivor testimony increasingly crucial. For those seeking to understand [how survivors’ authentic voices can inspire healing and hope](https://richwoman.co/article/finding-light-with-etty-dr-barbara-morrill-s-journey-through-darkness-and-hope), Eleanor’s appropriation represents a troubling violation of trust.

When survivors’ experiences are appropriated—even by well-meaning individuals—it potentially undermines historical records and feeds Holocaust distortion. [The Forward noted](https://forward.com/culture/film-tv/764908/eleanor-the-great-scarlett-johansson-june-squibb-holocaust/) that whilst real Holocaust survivors appear in the film’s support group scenes, ‘they are not given voice; instead, Eleanor’s false narrative is centred’, a choice that has caused discomfort within Jewish communities.

## Loneliness And The Search For Belonging

Eleanor’s deception stems from isolation that many older adults experience. [A 2024 AARP-supported survey](https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/reports-more/poll-extras/loneliness-and-isolation-back-pre-pandemic-levels-still-high-older-adults) found 33% of adults aged 50 to 80 reported feeling lonely some of the time or often. Eleanor’s fabrication begins precisely when she feels most isolated—after Bessie’s death, living with a daughter she barely knows, attending community centre activities designed more to occupy than connect.

The film’s Jewish Community Centre scenes reveal how Eleanor craves the ritual and recognition that come with shared experience. Her lie works because it provides instant membership in a community bound by profound common experience. For women navigating life transitions and [finding their voice at any age](https://richwoman.co/article/finding-your-voice-at-any-age-the-power-of-resilience-designed-by-preeti), Eleanor’s desperate search for belonging resonates deeply, even as her methods disturb. Eleanor’s behaviour demands both compassion and accountability. Her loneliness is real; the support systems that failed her before Bessie’s death are inadequate. Yet sympathy cannot excuse harm, and the film’s reluctance to fully interrogate this tension leaves viewers with unresolved moral questions.

## Media Responsibility And Intergenerational Trauma

Nina’s role as the young journalist documenting Eleanor’s story introduces questions about how trauma moves from private to public spheres. Nina, herself processing her mother’s recent death, becomes both Eleanor’s confidante and the vehicle that threatens to amplify the lie beyond the support group. Her father Roger represents media’s appetite for compelling human interest stories, often without sufficient scrutiny of their sources. This dynamic echoes broader patterns where [women face higher consequences for transgressing social boundaries](https://richwoman.co/article/may-december-women-pay-higher-price-for-breaking-rules), particularly when their stories challenge conventional expectations.

Media professionals who cover survivor testimony stress the importance of verification and contextualisation. When personal stories reach broader audiences—whether through journalism, film or social media—the stakes of accuracy increase. The film shows how Eleanor’s fabrication might have reached television audiences, potentially contributing to historical distortion whilst causing real harm to survivor communities working to preserve authentic testimony.

## A Moral Knot Without Easy Resolution

Critics have compared ‘Eleanor The Great’ to ‘Jojo Rabbit’, another film that used humour to approach traumatic history. Both films face accusations of prioritising emotional accessibility over historical responsibility. The comparison illuminates a recurring tension in Holocaust representation: how can films engage general audiences with difficult histories without minimising their gravity?

Watch ‘Eleanor The Great’ to appreciate Squibb’s late-career artistry, but bring awareness of the ethical questions it raises about truth, grief and care. The film touches subjects many readers navigate daily: caring for ageing relatives, witnessing grief’s strange manifestations, and grappling with how communities preserve memory whilst protecting dignity. For readers supporting ageing relatives, the [Claims Conference](https://www.claimscon.org/) provides resources on Holocaust survivor support, whilst [AARP’s Connect2Affect](https://connect2affect.org/) initiative addresses loneliness amongst older adults with practical tools for community connection.