Nobody asked for my review - A Real Pain
A Real Pain is a movie that had been on my to-watch list for the longest time. I just finished it, and I loved it!
Read on to know more about it.
Read on to know more about it.
A Real Pain is a comedy-drama that follows two cousins. Mismatched in temperament and character, they reunite to go to Poland for a heritage tour to honour their late grandmother, a Polish Holocaust refugee. The cousins, played by the ever-talented Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin (who also won Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 Oscars, as if it were any surprise), are funny, different from each other, and trying to reconnect (a reunion that takes them across the Atlantic).
Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg in his second directorial effort, the film also stars Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Lizy Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes as the supporting cast. I haven't watched Eisenberg's first directorial effort, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But he really shines both on and off the camera in this one.
The two cousins set off to Poland to join a heritage tour, specifically a Holocaust tour. The film follows them as they travel across Poland, visiting sites and remnants of what was perhaps one of the most inhumane events in history. The screenplay explores the Jewish experience through the lens of descendants of Holocaust survivors. Everyone on their heritage tour is connected to the Holocaust, either directly or through refugee histories, and through conversations and dialogue among them, they attempt to make sense of the experience.
Beyond the tour, it's the relationship between Benji and David that makes the film endearing, funny, and worthwhile.
"Joined at the hip" is how Benji describes his relationship with David as kids. Over time, however, life’s routines seem to pull them apart. Benji is an extroverted guy, talking to people and asking about their lives. He's jovial and fun, until he isn't. He thinks out loud, speaks whatever is on his mind, and can flip moods in seconds. David, on the other hand, is a stable guy, with a wife and a child, working in ad sales. He's reserved, mostly suppressing his emotions without knowing how to process them. His love for his cousin exceeds his personal reservations, and he joins him on this tour to honour their grandmother, who was very close to Benji. Her death devastates Benji, and to help him and reconnect with him, David plans this trip. As they explore Poland with a Holocaust tour group, Benji’s sharp honesty and strong opinions both unsettle and endear him to those around him, including David.
Eisenberg's screenplay is one of the film's strengths. The dialogue is funny, sombre, and deep, with some moments that make your heart sink, only to make you laugh again. The dynamic between Culkin's outbursts and Eisenberg's social reserve packs the film with plenty of humour and banter. It's heartwarming at its very core.
The background score is composed almost entirely of pieces by nineteenth-century Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, which adds depth to the film.
Few films can make you laugh and feel deeply at the same time. A Real Pain does it exceedingly well. It delivers a heartfelt exploration of the relationship and shared pain between two cousins who somehow fully understand each other, and yet do not.
I started watching this expecting a light comedy, but it hits all the right notes with its writing, direction, sensitive handling of the Holocaust, the relationship between the cousins, its understanding of grief, and the beautiful views of Poland. It’s a solid film for me, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
It's streaming on JioHotstar. Watch it if you will, and make your weekend worthwhile.
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