Released in early November, “A Real Pain” is a story of adventure filled with grief.
“A Real Pain” first premiered in January at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won an award for screenwriting. The film also earned a spot on IMDb’s list of 2024 Festival Films you need to know.
“A Real Pain” tells the story of two cousins, David (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (played by Kieran Culkin), who embark on a tour of Poland to honor their recently deceased grandmother, who grew up there and survived the Holocaust in the 1940s. Eisenberg wrote and directed the original screenplay for the second time in his career, after doing so for “When You Finish Saving The World” in 2022.
The writing for this film is brilliant. Bringing so much more than a character study, the depiction of grief within “A Real Pain” has the potential to hit home for a lot of people.
The raw and real performances from Eisenberg and Culkin make this film worth seeing. With Poland as a backdrop and a musical score of melancholy piano, “A Real Pain” paints a bittersweet picture for its audience who can see themselves in each of the characters as they navigate through their individual agony.
Eisenberg often plays characters who are uptight and anxious, which is why his portrayal of David works so well. David’s nervous nature may be a little robotic at times, but the character’s development shows how deeply he feels and how much he cares for those around him — how much he wants to help but doesn’t know how.
Culkin is known for his roles that provide heart as well as comic relief. He elevates these traits to a new level as Benji, whose witty moments become his defense mechanism and the core of the film.
Benji is a wonderful character who may be seen by some as a stereotypical disaster of a person, but he drives everyone around him to be better. With his encouraging, loving and overall well-meaning attributes, he is so deeply unaware of the good in himself.
As an audience member, you can feel the anguish of the characters throughout the film. David and Benji grieve in different ways, just as we all do. For those looking for a good laugh, or a good cry, or maybe even both, “A Real Pain” is the film for you.
