Sometimes, when you list a film’s raw ingredients, you don’t need much more selling on the film itself – just that combination of elements is enough. And though its title is a bit of a mouthful, When You Finish Saving The World is one such film. Firstly, it’s the directorial debut of Jesse Eisenberg, stepping behind the camera at last. Secondly, it stars Finn Wolfhard. Thirdly, it also stars Julianne Moore. Frankly, you should be sold already – but if not, here are some extra spicy ingredients to sweeten the deal: it’s an A24 coming-of-age comedy that looks wryly funny and emotional to boot. It’s like someone put all of the internet’s favourite things into a movie generator – and, as you’d expect, it looks pretty great. Watch the trailer here:
If someone said, ‘Finn Wolfhard and Julianne Moore in a Jesse Eisenberg-directed A24 coming-of-age movie’, you’d probably imagine a trailer exactly like the one above – but it looks undeniably good, warm and witty with lashings of teen angst, explorations of Gen Z and its relationship with social media, and an indie-aesthetic edge. Intriguingly, this one began life as an award-winning audio project penned by Eisenberg under the same name, released via Audible in 2020.
Having received positive reviews on its debut at Sundance at the start of this year, the film is hitting US cinemas in January 2023 – except, as usual with A24 films, that could mean a little wait for it reaching UK audiences (who are still very patiently waiting for Pearl and Marcel The Shell With Shoes On). Hopefully, this one will be equally worth the wait.
