The Debut — NYFF Review

With The Debut, Jesse Eisenberg proves he’s a filmmaker who’s only growing sharper, funnier, and more confident with each project. His third feature film might just be his best one yet. It’s a delightful, wildly hilarious, and irresistibly charming musical comedy bolstered by phenomenal performances from Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. It’s like a cross between a Woody Allen movie and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010). I’m aware that probably sounds preposterous, but somehow it works, and this is coming from someone who isn’t even a fan of Woody Allen movies. At its core, The Debut is a quirky character study about the desire to be seen and how artistic passion can spiral into self-destructive obsession.