Rating 7/10
Jesse Eisenberg has never been more quintessentially himself. A Real Pain not only stars the actor, but he wrote and directed the picture—a critically acclaimed follow-up to his 2022 directorial debut When You Finish Saving the World.
David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin) are cousins who embark on a Jewish heritage tour in Poland to honor their late grandmother, Dory. David, a married father, is reserved and responsible. Benji, on the other hand, is a single and irreverent provocateur who struggles with sadness and ongoing tensions following a suicide attempt. The tour, led by British guide James (Will Sharpe), includes a diverse group. There’s solo traveler Marcia (Jennifer Grey), an older couple Mark and Diane (Daniel Oreskes, Liza Sadovy), and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), a Rwandan refugee who converted to Judaism. David and Benji will navigate their strained family dynamics while also coming to terms with the legacy of their ancestors and the impact of the Holocaust. Their bond will be tested as they confront their past and an uncertain future.
This is about two complex, deeply human people at odds with one another and how they process their sorrow. Kieran Culkin gives a remarkable performance as Benji Kaplan, a man who can be effortlessly charming at one moment and then alienating people the next. His awkward humor ostensibly stems from unresolved grief for their grandmother, Dory. Meanwhile, Jesse Eisenberg is equally good as David Kaplan, a more introverted man who often masks his feelings to keep things running smoothly. Processing the death of a loved one against the backdrop of the Holocaust would seem to be stacking the deck, but the narrative never relies on the emotional heft of that tragedy. It navigates its own path by emphasizing their connection is the focus within the shadow of that historical event.
Director Jesse Eisenberg delivers a portrait as honest as it is ambitious. By merging familial conflict with echoes of the past, the chronicle achieves a rare balance between humor and seriousness. The account uses the Holocaust to highlight nuances in David and Benji’s relationship. Having traveled through Poland, including Warsaw and Auschwitz I in Oświęcim, I found the presentation of the Majdanek concentration camp in the movie particularly powerful.
A Real Pain honors the weight of Poland’s history and memorials while maintaining an intimate, character-driven core. Kieran Culkin, as brash yet vulnerable Benji and Eisenberg’s restrained, obsessive portrayal of David, is the heart. Yet I couldn’t fully embrace these characters. They aren’t likable people, but that’s okay. It’s not a tale of resolution but of recognition. A Real Pain leaves you with a sense of humanity in all its messy contradictions.
11-14-24