Jesse Eisenberg’s third directorial effort, The Debut, opened the Virginia Film Festival. The film serves as a love letter to those who participate in community theater and have an affinity for the craft. The film follows a disgruntled housewife, played by Julianne Moore, as she pursues a role in a musical. Moore’s character is directed by a domineering Paul Giamatti (Jerry), who pushes her beyond her limits. 

The Start of Something New

The Debut is a wonderfully thought-out ode to community theater. The protagonist, being a disgruntled housewife played by Julianne Moore, is a fitting choice. The film is a coming-of-middle-age story about the making of independence before it actually begins. What starts as a cheery, upbeat tone shifts to a more serious but delirious one as the narrative progresses. The descent into chaos the film depicts is driven by its domesticated sensibilities. The film’s moments are more sensitive in a way that chips away at one’s weakness.  In the end, it is used to break barriers that someone undergoing the process can’t comprehend because they have been sheltered from adversity.  

Mona Friedman (Moore) wants to do something that excites her outside of her duties as a dedicated mother and wife who isn’t always noticed. As she begins to set out for a starring role in a community theater production in her small town, she is met by the director, Jerry (Paul Giamatti), who is brash, more than abrasive, in his approach. As Mona gets the part (a smaller but force-multiplying role), she is tested on every front and pushed outside her comfort zone. These anxiety-induced moments are meant to strengthen her development as a human being. In her moments with Jerry, he sees something in her that she doesn’t see in herself. This is where his hard exterior becomes more nuanced, as he begins to level with her to bring something new to his production. There is always a method in any station, and in this case, the acting is more fact than fiction. 

Practice Makes Performance 

Without any exaggeration, this is Julianne Moore’s best performance to date. Moore’s performance as Mona incorporates some great qualities from the most iconic roles in her filmography. The housewife sensibilities she portrays in this film are reminiscent of her prior work in Todd Haynes’ Safe. The looming dread feels similar thematically. The quirky, motherly kindness she portrays in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights shows up as she is an awkward breath of fresh air and a joy to watch, though something is boiling beneath. Halfway through the film, she leaves the audience stunned, offering nothing but applause; that is how great Moore’s performance is. That moment echoes her iconic crash-out in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. Julianne Moore’s performance in this film is a layered journey that only matures because she lays it out perfectly. The film serves as an intervention, pushing Mona to take control of her life as she tries to find herself in the character she’s playing. 

Paul Giamatti’s performance as Jerry, the theater director, is well-positioned and better-intentioned than the narrative may suggest. Giamatti works as a steward of his teachings in the film, especially in Mona’s development, and when that sets in, it creates an even more meaningful relationship between them. After losing his biggest star, Jerry must redirect and refocus, and that focus culminates in the fact that before he was a director, he was an actor for a long time. He knew the importance of a role that isn’t big but is still so pivotal to the narrative that the play can’t shake without it.