A Real Pain (2024)

User Review

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  ScreenZealots

  10 / 10

  I was absolutely enamored from start to finish by “A Real Pain,” the sophomore feature effort from writer-director Jesse Eisenberg. While I wasn’t a fan of his first foray into filmmaking (see 2022’s “When You Finish Saving the World“), Eisenberg finds total success here, with his highly personal story about the relationship between two mismatched cousins and their quest to learn more about their family’s history and in turn, themselves and each other.
  
  After the death of their beloved grandmother, incompatible cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a trip through Poland to honor her wishes. Their European tour takes them through her storied history, from stops at her childhood home to the World War II concentration camp that claimed so many. The highly emotional trip causes old tensions to resurface between the two men, as deeply buried disagreements and trauma come back into the light.
  
  The film is poignant and sincere, with a script that’s filled with humor, honesty, and wit. The characters are so well written (and beautifully acted), from the charismatic Benji (who masks his depression through charm) to the love and frustration David feels with his cousin. These two are sort of estranged yet also not, but there is a genuine love and mutual respect between them.
  
  Culkin once again gives a phenomenal turn as Benji, and Eisenberg’s anxious affability makes him the natural choice to play David. These characters are just as strong as the story, and Eisenberg gets you engaged right away. Even the fellow travelers on the tour (Jennifer Grey, Daniel Oreskes, Kurt Egyiawan) are perfectly written and acted. While you never actually see grandma, after the film is over you feel like you knew her. That’s a testament to how expertly the movie is rendered.
  
  “A Real Pain” is a standout film, and it was my favorite by a mile at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Every element of this project works in perfect tandem as Eisenberg captures the joy and pain of family with a beautiful authenticity.
  
  By: Louisa Moore / SCREEN ZEALOTS

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