When the shy housewife Mona (Julianne Moore) spots a notice from an amateur theatre group, she plucks up all her courage to go along to the audition. To her surprise, she actually lands the part. But the eccentric director Jerry (Paul Giamatti) turns even the rehearsals into an ordeal, thereby awakening not only her acting talent but also an ambition that soon defies all reason. For Mona, a tiny supporting role becomes the role of a lifetime. And the unassuming woman transforms into an uncompromising actress who is prepared to do anything for the sake of art. Even if it means standing up to her director.
Jesse Eisenberg (A REAL PAIN) directs Oscar® winner Julianne Moore (STILL ALICE) in a delightful comedy about a housewife who finds her first experiences in the theatre to be a creative and personal act of liberation. Moore’s multi-layered, humorous performance is matched by Paul Giamatti (THE HOLDOVERS) as an eccentric theatre director who helps his new discovery to surpass all expectations. *The Debut – Her Big Break* brilliantly echoes Konstantin Stanislavski’s old adage that ‘there are no small roles, only small actors’, and demonstrates with great charm and irrepressible wit how this maxim can be taken to the extreme. For his third feature film, Eisenberg not only directed but also wrote the screenplay, appeared as an actor and created the musical ‘Nosy Neighbours’ from scratch within the film himself – including the music and lyrics.
