Jesse Eisenberg’s third film as writer-director, The Debut, is arriving at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival for its International Premiere on the back of one of the loudest reactions to come out of Telluride this year — and after watching the trailer, it’s easy to see why.
What It’s About
Julianne Moore stars as Mona Friedman, a meek New Jersey housewife who’s never acted a day in her life. On a whim, she auditions for a local community theater production of a musical called Nosy Neighbors, lands a minor role through a stroke of luck she may have quietly engineered herself, and then — under the tutelage of the theater’s domineering, borderline-tyrannical director Jerry (Paul Giamatti) — proceeds to lose herself completely in the part. What starts as a low-stakes suburban comedy tips into something stranger, funnier, and more surreal the longer Mona stays in character, blurring the line between rehearsal and reality.
Eisenberg wrote the script himself, complete with seven original songs, and directs while also appearing in the ensemble cast, which includes Halle Bailey, Bernadette Peters, Cara Buono, Craig Bierko, Colton Ryan, Danny Burstein, and Havana Rose Liu. A24 is distributing, with Emma Stone producing through Fruit Tree alongside Dave McCary and Ali Herting.
How It Played at Telluride
The trailer alone promises the kind of go-for-broke tonal whiplash critics have already been raving about since the film’s Telluride premiere. Reviews out of that festival have been close to euphoric: Variety called Moore’s performance “astonishing,” comparing the film to Waiting for Guffman remade by the Coen brothers “at their most rivetingly unhinged.” Deadline described a screening so uproarious that the audience broke into sustained applause mid-scene, while The Hollywood Reporter praised Moore and Giamatti as “dynamite together.” Eisenberg himself introduced the film by admitting it’s about a woman who finds the one thing she loves more than anything in her life — and how terrifying and destructive that discovery can be.
Not every reaction has been a total rave — IndieWire’s review was more measured, noting that the intense focus on Mona and Jerry leaves supporting characters underdeveloped — but the consensus so far is overwhelmingly positive, and Moore’s performance in particular has become the story of the festival.
TIFF Chances
The Debut lands in TIFF’s Gala/Special Presentations slate as one of several starry, actor-directed films at this year’s festival, in a lineup that also includes Chris Rock’s Misty Green, Courteney Cox’s Evil Genius, and Rebel Wilson’s Girl Group. Coming in with Telluride buzz already attached, it’s positioned as one of the fest’s hotter tickets, and its blend of accessible comedy and a big awards-friendly lead performance is exactly the kind of title TIFF’s notoriously enthusiastic public audiences tend to embrace — audience love that has historically translated into real Oscar momentum via the People’s Choice Award. It won’t be the frontrunner for that prize (early word has titles like Fjord leading that conversation), but a strong, laughter-filled public screening in Toronto would only add to the film’s case.
Awards Season Outlook
This is where things get genuinely interesting. Julianne Moore, a past Best Actress winner for Still Alice, is already being talked about as one of the frontrunners in this year’s Best Actress race off the strength of Telluride alone. Paul Giamatti — a previous nominee — is drawing early buzz for Best Supporting Actor. Best Picture is being floated too, though it’s early, and community-theater comedies with original songs and a surreal streak aren’t always the Academy’s most natural fit; the film’s genuine achievement will need to survive contact with a much larger, more scattered audience once it moves from festival crowds to general release.
Still, A24 knows how to run an awards campaign, Eisenberg’s A Real Pain proved just two years ago that his low-key, character-driven sensibility can travel deep into the season, and Moore heading into the fall as a Best Actress frontrunner is not a small thing. Consider The Debut one of the season’s films to watch — and one that could pick up serious momentum as it plays for audiences beyond the festival circuit.
The Debut premieres at TIFF following its Telluride debut, with a theatrical release from A24 expected later this year.