WNDX Feature Documentary: Feet in Water, Head on Fire
Pay What You Can
Dir. Jesse Eisenberg
2023, USA, 88 min
Evelyn has devoted herself to helping people in hard times, but she struggles to connect with her son Ziggy, an aspiring internet star oblivious to the problems of the world.
As Evelyn attempts to become a parent figure to an unassuming teenager she meets at her shelter, and Ziggy fumbles through his pursuit of a brilliant and politically conscious young woman at his high school, this emotional comedy reveals a funny and sharply perceptive portrait of a mother and son who may seem at odds but who are more alike than either would care to admit.
At the center of the film, Eisenberg’s fundamental question seems to be: It shouldn’t be this hard to be good, should it? It’s a question worth asking.
– Elamin Abdelmahmoud, BuzzFeed News
When You Finish Saving the World is often acidic to a point that might scare away some, but at its core, Eisenberg’s film is an endearing story of mother and son who were once so close, and now struggle to get what they need from each other anymore.
– Ross Bonaime, Collider
