Looking back at When You Finish Saving the World, Jesse Eisenberg’s debut feature, it’s clear why he chose to adapt his 2019 audiobook into a full-length film. Produced by A24, the movie is carried by Julianne Moore (Evelyn) and Finn Wolfhard (Ziggy), who play a miserable mother-son duo perpetually frustrated with each other’s shortcomings in how they understand each other. They live in two very different worlds: Evelyn runs a shelter for women in crisis, while Ziggy is cultivating a music career via social media. At this point in their lives, they seem to have nothing in common.
At times, it’s a tough film to watch. The pain of miscommunication between the pairing is all too relatable. It’s captured in interesting depth through Jesse Eisenberg’s writing and direction. Eisenberg has an impressively clear vision for how he composes his shots, and is characterized by methodical use of symmetry. It elevates an already good movie into something much better. In doing so, Eisenberg is able to more accurately capture his characters’ changing moods, mannerisms, environments, and his favorite thing of all, extreme awkwardness.
How Awkward Can Eisenberg Get?
Whether he’s in the writer/director seat or not, awkwardness has always been a trademark of Eisenberg’s career. He first exploded in popularity by playing Mark Zuckerberg in the beloved but disturbing drama ‘The Social Network’. Sometimes, his awkwardness has taken a more harmless and comedic turn in movies such as ‘Zombieland’. Fans of his previous acting work will be happy to know that his turn as a director and writer is not very different. The film emphasizes awkward interactions, from Ziggy failing to impress Lila (a girl he has feelings for) to Ziggy and Evelyn’s often quiet but painful confrontations. One shot Eisenberg loves to use to reflect this awkwardness is a shot of the two arguing characters on opposite ends of the frame, creating a symmetry of tension. He repeats this multiple times in lots of different situations. In one instance, Ziggy and Evelyn are portrayed as standing on opposite ends of the dinner table. Another instance involves Ziggy and his Dad, where he half-heartedly probes his son about his mental state before diving into an article about teen suicide. None of these situations are easy to stomach, and they’re made less so by the perfect use of this shot occasionally thrown in here or there.
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It shows up in the writing as well. Jesse Eisenberg is known for his snappy, mechanical cadence and lengthy diatribes. Through no coincidence at all, Ziggy sounds exactly the same. He essentially plays a mini-Jesse Eisenberg, emulating his tone and long-winded explanations perfectly. It helps that Eisenberg seems to have specifically written Ziggy’s dialogue this way. The famous actor knows his strengths as a writer and employs them pretty effectively. Finn Wolfhard’s terrific understanding of what his character is supposed to sound like, combined with Eisenberg’s wisdom on how he wanted Wolfhard to deliver his lines, creates a character that feels like a real person with deeply felt problems, dreams, and points of view. In all his awkwardness and ungratefulness, Ziggy is an amazingly crafted character.
What Do the Characters Learn?
Eisenberg conveys a lot of other things through his writing and directing as well. Namely, the themes of the movie. This movie has some pretty loud and clear messages about what it means to stay true to who one is and who one wants to be, appreciating other worldviews and life journeys, and attempting to live up to the ideals that are often thrown at us. Throughout the movie, it’s pretty evident that Evelyn wishes her son had different interests or different dreams for himself. Ziggy feels suffocated by these ambitions that don’t align with his own, and it causes strong friction between them. However, Ziggy doesn’t have many ambitions outside of his online music career. He has difficulty taking a sincere interest in others’ lives and things around him. This stifles his ability to communicate with his friends, his mother, and Lila. Simply being present with others becomes a challenge. Both of them could learn a thing or two about these things, and how to meet halfway for each other to improve their relationship.
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To bring these lessons to the forefront, Eisenberg once again uses some crucial directing methods. He uses the camera to hang on a character’s face for an extra second to catch their reaction to something impactful or transformative for them. Highlighting a character’s face is a common yet powerful technique to squeeze the emotion out of a scene. This usage of the camera usually goes hand in hand with the writing, as it usually coincides with a pivotal moment in the character’s emotional arc and their change towards being more understanding by the end.
Environment Changes Everything
Another major thing that allows Eisenberg to showcase his talent as a writer-director is the environments. The settings are not only pretty foundational to the character’s moods, but they’re also used to characterize any given person’s worldview. Eisenberg uses this to great effect to inform Lila’s personality and what Lila’s interests are. At one point, we see her in the crowd at an underground political art show. The walls are decked with posters decrying social injustice and global human rights violations. It’s dimly lit, adding a clandestine aspect to the event. Eisenberg makes sure to get a shot of the stage in all its grimy, rebellious glory.
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Writing is also a significant part of environmental use. At this political art rally, people take turns expressing themselves through their writing or music. Lila shares a poem about the Marshall Islands and the horrific exploitation of its citizens. This is at least as important as the direction in this scene when illuminating who Lila is. It’s in these layered details that Eisenberg proves his debut isn’t just about awkwardness, but about how art, environment, and relationships shape the way we learn to understand one another.
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Writer: Jesse Eisenberg
Actors: Finn Wolfhard, Julianne Moore, Alisha Boe, Billy Byrk, Sara Anne
By Zachary DePiore
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Zachary DePiore graduated from Ohio University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He’s loved writing his entire life, from creating picture books when he was seven to learning how to write copy, scripts, audio stories for radio and more in college. The Hollywood Insider’s dedication to combining deft storytelling and positivity made him realize that this had to be his next step forward. Some of his hobbies include traveling, tv shows, and movies. His favorite show is Avatar: The Last Airbender. As of right now, he’s a charity fundraiser in Cincinnati.
Zachary DePiore graduated from Ohio University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications. He’s loved writing his entire life, from creating picture books when he was seven to learning how to write copy, scripts, audio stories for radio and more in college. The Hollywood Insider’s dedication to combining deft storytelling and positivity made him realize that this had to be his next step forward. Some of his hobbies include traveling, tv shows, and movies. His favorite show is Avatar: The Last Airbender. As of right now, he’s a charity fundraiser in Cincinnati.
