Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan
Written, directed by and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg alongside a scene-stealing Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain is a deft and moving dramedy that sees two polar opposite cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother.
Intended by Eisenberg to explore “epic pain vs. modern pain”, it sees neurotic, hyper-articulate David (Eisenberg, playing not at all against type) and chaotic misfit Benji (Culkin, somewhat ditto) rub up against each other on a group trip for Jewish Americans that’s counterintuitively led by a non-Jewish Brit (Will Sharpe) and takes in Warsaw, Lublin and Majdanek Concentration Camp as well as their grandmother’s last home in Poland.
Deriving comedy from the fact that Benji is as oblivious to awkwardness as David is alive to it, A Real Pain is deeply perceptive on the legacy of ancestral pain and trauma, with a humanistic script rooted in Eisenberg’s own family past – and terrific performances – giving the film a powerful emotional kick. Filmed on location across Poland, it’s a thoughtful, character-driven look at the light and dark of life and how to reconcile them.