Scarlett Johansson debuts as director with comic tale of grief, empathy

Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut, “Eleanor the Great,” stars June Squibb as a 94-year-old woman who, out of grief and loneliness, does a terrible thing.

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After her best friend (Rita Zohar) dies, Eleanor (Squibb) moves to New York and, after accidentally joining the wrong meeting at the Jewish Community Center, adopts her friend's story of Holocaust survival. The film builds toward a moment where Eleanor could be harshly condemned in a public forum, or not.

For Johansson, her movie speaks to the moment.

There's a lack of empathy in the zeitgeist. It's obviously a reaction to a lot of things," says Johansson. "It feels to me like forgiveness feels less possible in the environment we're in." Johansson brought "Eleanor the Great" to the Un Certain Regard sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival this week, unveiling a funny and tender, character-driven, New York-set indie that launches her as a filmmaker. For the 40-year-old star, it's the humble culmination of a dream that's always bounced around in her mind.