52 Films by Women Vol 9. 38. Eleanor The Great (Director: Scarlett Johansson)
Pictured : Nonagenarians Bessie ( Rita Zohar , left) and Eleanor ( June Squibb , right) have breakfast in a scene from the American comedy-drama, ' Eleanor The Great ', written by Tory Kamen and directed by Scarlett Johansson . Still courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics . Cultural appropriation – to tell a story that does not belong to you – has existed since the birth of literature. Both the Old and New Testament were transcribed from other people’s histories. Man has, apparently, related the word of a creator, an act – or series of acts – that could represent the largest hubris of all. Nowadays, individuals have the means to tell their own stories, from the ‘tell-all’ autobiography to the curation of a digital archive shared online. However, they are not always the best narrators of their own stories, lacking vocabulary, insight, even time, as well as being prone to self-censorship. An intermediary is helpful, be it a ghost writer, a playwright or an actor, someone sensitive...