A Real Pain (2024)

Written by, directed by, and starring Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain is the kind of film that feels as if it could only be made by someone who decided that they had to make it. It covers subject matter that many will be able to identify with, but also feels like a personal journey for someone processing some of their own feelings in film form.

Eisenberg is David Kaplan, a slightly awkward and reserved young man now a million miles from how Eisenberg appears to be in real life. He joins his cousin, Benji (Kieran Culkin), to go on a tour through Poland, hoping to ultimately end up at the old house of their deceased grandmother. Benji is much quicker to express and discuss his emotions, and much quicker to be blatantly honest, which may make others uncomfortable as they explore a painful past, including wartime genocide and a concentration camp.

Although a low-key affair, and although not entirely unique, A Real Pain works, thanks in no small part to the juxtaposition of Eisenberg and Culkin. Both actors do very good work, although neither seems to be stretching themselves, and they're ably assisted by a supporting cast that includes Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe, Ellora Torchia, Kurt Egyiawan, Daniel Oreskes, and Liza Sadovy. Grey, Egyiawan, and Sharpe are the highlights, the latter trying hard to deliver a tour that is respectful and informative, but everyone has at least one memorable moment around our main characters.

There's a tightrope being walked here, and some may view the film as a failure. Both David and Benji have their failings, and the latter will certainly be a bit too irritating for some people, but they are rendered rather insignificant by the weight of the history around them anyway. This isn't really about the main characters. It's about pain, as the title says. There's internal pain that doesn't always need an external factor, there's pain that comes through connection to loved ones and the times when those connections are severed, and there's pain that reverberates throughout generations, a scar on our world that some people feel more keenly than others.

I liked this a lot, and I responded to what was being presented at the very heart of it. It's not a great film though, in many ways, and some of the awards buzz it has been garnering may set people up for disappointment. People shouldn't flock to this to marvel at the writing or directorial skill of Eisenberg, and they may not even appreciate the performances as much as I did. I would hope that they find something worthwhile though. Something appreciably human. Sometimes all you need is the vague feeling that someone making art has even the smallest idea of your own journey running alongside their own. A Real Pain gives you that.

7/10

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