Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut is a Spotlight selection of the 64th New York Film Festival. Learn more: wp.filmlinc.org/films/the-debut
Julianne Moore flings herself with delicious abandon into the role of Mona, a middle-aged New Jersey housewife who lands a part in a local musical production despite having zero stage experience. She quickly finds herself at odds with the show’s irascible and demanding director, Jerry (Paul Giamatti, in prime exasperation mode), who’s nevertheless determined to mold Mona into a performer. In contrast to her home existence, where she’s almost surreally neglected by her husband and teenage twins, the theater life proves enriching, transformative, and, as she begins to dig deeper into the reality of her character, excitingly dangerous. Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain, NYFF62), who also wrote the show’s music and lyrics, keeps things expertly balanced on a knife’s edge between musical theater satire and cathartic character study. A lovingly crafted comedy, The Debut reminds us that to find your true self, it might also be necessary to lose yourself a little. An A24 release.
Subscribe: youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=filmlincdotcom
Showtimes and tickets: filmlinc.org
Follow on X: http://x.com/filmlinc
Follow on Instagram: instagram.com/filmlinc
Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/filmlinc
Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut is a Spotlight selection of the 64th New York Film Festival. Learn more: wp.filmlinc.org/films/the-debut
Julianne Moore flings herself with delicious abandon into the role of Mona, a middle-aged New Jersey housewife who lands a part in a local musical production despite having zero stage experience. She quickly finds herself at odds with the show’s irascible and demanding director, Jerry (Paul Giamatti, in prime exasperation mode), who’s nevertheless determined to mold Mona into a performer. In contrast to her home existence, where she’s almost surreally neglected by her husband and teenage twins, the theater life proves enriching, transformative, and, as she begins to dig deeper into the reality of her character, excitingly dangerous. Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain, NYFF62), who also wrote the show’s music and lyrics, keeps things expertly balanced on a knife’s edge between musical theater satire and cathartic character study. A lovingly crafted comedy, The Debut reminds us that to find your true self, it might also be necessary to lose yourself a little. An A24 release.
Subscribe: youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=filmlincdotcom
Showtimes and tickets: filmlinc.org
Follow on X: http://x.com/filmlinc
Follow on Instagram: instagram.com/filmlinc
Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/filmlinc
