Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain follows oddly-matched cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) as they reunite to honor their grandmother by visiting her old home in Lublin, Poland. Quickly building a reputation for tardiness, the two become a polarizing pair during their Polish tour and gradually grow into a problem. The intensity of the tour parallels David and Benji’s as Poland’s dark history correlates with the cousins. A trip to honor their grandmother reaches a boiling point as their relationship and international adventure reach the brink of disaster.
The comedy was pure and felt completely natural. Thanks to David and Benji’s opposed lifestyles, there was a never-ending supply of awkward moments that brought a carry-on-sized bag of humor. It’s completely human to grow in different directions, which is what happened with the two. David has a wife and a son and works in Ad sales in New York City. A brief exchange later in the film reveals Benji’s residence was in fact with his mother, but he did note he was working on “things”.
David was a simple man. He got married, had a kid, and worked a job that may not be his passion but he’s getting by. Benji, while not as accomplished by society’s standards, has nerves of steel and boasts a confidence that David could only dream of. His only setback is that he feels everything, almost to his detriment. As the tour grows in intensity (the group visits an old concentration camp Majdanek), Benji can hardly control his emotions. Frustration, anger, and sadness envelope his very being and cause both concern and admiration. Kieran Culkin’s ability to balance a lack of awareness while serving as an empath was simply incredible. To notice nothing yet feel everything. Providing symmetrical cognizance and simultaneously firing on all comical cylinders was downright impressive. It was a career-defining performance for Culkin.
The film plays like a love letter to Poland. From shooting at Majdanek to utilizing a majority Polish crew, the film oozes authenticity from start to finish. Side-stepping a more traditional score, Eisenberg turned to one of the country’s greatest treasures: Frederic Chopin. Instead of employing his music to predictably build on character emotions, it found its place in the background. Eisenberg himself commented that it, “Plays almost like a running commentary. It gives the movie this sophisticated removed tone that I just found very helpful.”
A Real Pain gets a 9.5 out of 10. It’s Eisenberg’s greatest work in his short directorial résumé and Culkin was simply perfection. Kieran’s performance is certain to leave a lasting impression on the audience The film goes deep enough that it provokes emotion and communicates pain but doesn’t harp on it. While they could’ve used the traumatic scenes to turn it into a sob fest, I’m glad they did not. With the amount of comedy lathered throughout the film, it would’ve felt odd. The unpredictable ending was a welcome treat and the other tourists in their group played a bigger role than expected. As opposed to just extras, their fellow travelers were all carrying metaphorical baggage of their own, with everyone using the trip as a cathartic experience.
A Real Pain will be in theaters this Friday, Nov. 15.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 89 minutes
Trailer:
U.S. Release Date: November 15, 2024