A Real Pain (2024)

Dir: Jesse Eisenberg

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are excellent as two emotionally conflicted cousins in this surprisingly powerful yet hilarious dramedy

Last year, British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer gave us one of the most haunting depictions of the holocaust in recent years with “The Zone of Interest”. The eerily sombre piece of art and cinema depicted the mundanity of a German family living on the peripheries of one of history’s darkest times, as they continue to go about their day-to-day lives whilst truly horrific acts against humanity play out within ear shot. Given the incredibly serious nature of the subject matter, pretty much every film throughout cinematic history depicting the holocaust, has served as a harrowing reminder of the pain and suffering countless people have been through, and still go through in some parts of the world today.

This “pain” that we are reminded of, in order to prevent anything so heinous from ever happening again, is one of the many examples of pain explored in the latest film by actor-filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg. Born and raised as part of a secular Jewish family, “A Real Pain” is a very personal film to Eisenberg, having began exploring themes surrounding modern day challenges and their context when compared to the horrors his ancestors went through eighty years ago. Initially conceived as a thought experiment, Eisenberg started writing a script for the film in 2022, after he had finished production on his debut feature as a writer-director, “When You Finish Saving the World”. Having also produced his first feature, Emma Stone and David McCary signed on to produce the film through their production company Fruit Tree, Stone having had collaborated with Eisenberg in the past on both “Zombieland” movies.

To help answer questions regarding his own personal struggles, which he often compared to his Polish ancestors’ time during the war, Eisenberg’s film sees two, conflicting Jewish cousins, both of whom struggling with their own degrees of “pain”, as they journey on a Holocaust tour across Poland. We are first introduced to the cousins, reserved father and husband David (Eisenberg) and free-spirited drifter Benji (Kieran Culkin), as they prepare to embark on a trip to visit the childhood home of their late grandmother. Once they arrive in Poland, the pair rendezvous with their tour group, led by knowledgeable, British gentile James (Will Sharpe). Joining the boys on the tour are middle-aged divorcee Marcia (Jennifer Grey), elderly Jewish couple Diane (Liza Sadovy) and Mark (Daniel Oreskes), and recent convert and Rwandan genocide survivor Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan).

The cousins’ dynamic is repeatedly tested throughout the trip, with the vocal and brutally honest Benji managing to bond with the group despite openly criticising the tour, whilst the more pragmatic David fails to make an impression. Despite being very close when they were younger, the cousins have drifted apart over the years with David settling down in New York City with a family and a career, whilst Benji continues to struggle due to mental health issues.

From the outset we are made aware of both David’s and Benji’s conflicting characteristics, with the the more free-wheeling Benji happily spending his hours leading up to their trip within the airport itself. Benji mentions to David that you come across all kinds of crazy people in an airport, most of whom may be going through similar levels of mental distress as Benji, perhaps why he enjoys their company. This is again addressed in the movie’s cyclical finale, which not only reminds us of Benji’s insecurities around his own cousin, but also the spiralling affect that mental health has on people. Benji is clearly a troubled individual, something which he hides in plain sight with his frank personality. It is this honest and direct quality of his character, that ultimately grates on David, not just because he finds it embarrassing to be made the centre of attention as a result of his cousin’s, often justified outbursts, but also because David is envious of Benji’s natural charm and demeanour.

It is made abundantly clear from Eisenberg’s script, that the way in which David perceives his cousin, is what leads us to the movie’s title, with Benji being “a real pain” to David. As the narrative plays out and we learn more about our protagonists, it becomes even clearer that not only has Benji had issues with his mental health in the past, but also David, which he proclaims to the visibly shook tour group in a heart-breaking and emotionally explosive dinner scene. Then there are the tour members themselves, who in a lesser film may have only served to progress our central characters’ narrative. Eisenberg cleverly gives enough depth for his supporting players to work with, to make their characters feel like real people, with their own stories and lives that will continue after they depart from the tour.

All of these sources of modern pain, whether they be psychological, emotional or physical are set against the backdrop of one of the most famous examples of pain in history, and in doing so Eisenberg is able to reconcile with his own guilt when reflecting on his ancestors’ traumatic past.

I have seen some criticism regarding Eisenberg and Culkin’s performances here, and frankly I find it absurd. This has mostly come from those who only see the surface of the actors’ multi-layered portrayals of their characters, with David and Benji almost appearing to be fictionalised versions of the actors themselves. Firstly, Eisenberg did not write the script with Culkin in mind, and was initially hesitant to cast him due to his Roman Catholic background given the nature of the role. While it might appear that both Eisenberg and Culkin share very similar characters to their on-screen personas, this only adds a depth of realism to the production, which genuinely had me worried for both actors in real life. Benji is a character reminiscent of Culkin’s most famous role to date, Roman Roy from “Succession” , and while there are similarities, there is plenty of nuance and hidden emotion in Benji’s eyes, expressing his inner turmoil more visibly than he would want you to think. Culkin is currently the frontrunner for the Academy Award for Supporting Actor for this performance, and while I am yet to see every 2024 release, I can safely say he definitely has a strong chance to win the award.

Emotionally resonant and occasionally hilarious, Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” is an enjoyable yet heart-breaking exploration of pain, anxiety and depression. It sure is one that will last with me for months to come.

A Real Pain is now showing in UK Cinemas

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