A Real Pain ★★★½

Writer/director Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain follows as two men, cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin), travel to Poland together to connect with their family roots. As one might expect, the journey is as much one to Poland as it is one into their shared past – family and their own relationship – and their own selves, their discontent with their lives or personalities, and a rumination on what it means to live in a world with such overwhelming sadness around every corner. Eisenberg, always known for his socially awkward characters, plays another here with David, who bonded with the charismatic Benji in their youth but they have grown apart. David has a wife and children in New York City, while Benji sputtered out in adulthood, lives in Binghamton, and has no job. Benji is, as David admits, everything that David ever wanted to be personality-wise, as David finds great discontent in simply existing within his own skin. Yet, Benji may be a man who “lights up a room” when he enters it, but for as carefree as he may seem on the outside, his life is no easy task either.

In fact, it is no easy task for anyone. No matter one’s personality or approach, the looming world outside is always right there. Perhaps it is never more apt than in a scene in Poland where David and Benji smoke weed on a rooftop after their tourist group visited a nearby concentration camp. It was a naturally heavy day, filled with horrible sights and painful memories. However, what strikes David on that rooftop is that, as their guide James (Will Sharpe) had noted, the camp was not that far away from town. Unspeakable horrors occurred just miles away and for those who lived in the city at the time, they faced a universal struggle: to find a way to live their life, either by consciously ignoring what was happening or in spite of knowing what was happening. David and Benji’s differences in personality have manifested similarly over the years into how they process everything around them. 

David has a job and responsibilities, thus when their grandmother dies, he goes about his daily life. When he hears about horrors around the world, he goes about his daily life. He is not dead emotionally, but he sees all of the world’s horrors as something that could bog one down into an emotional ball at all times of the day if one “feels” something about each thing. When he finally allows himself to feel something on this trip – most notably in a powerful dinner scene – it hits him all at once, making up for all of the time he spent repressing his emotions. Benji, however, sees “real pain” everywhere. He was wrecked by the death of their grandmother. He is fascinated by the world and feels everything deeply, especially in Poland, and has no problems expressing himself. He sees horrors around the world and cannot look away, consumed by every element of human existence. It can manifest itself in lighter ways, as well, as he retains a childishness and impulsiveness that make spending time with him into a whirlwind of feeling and chaos. 

A Real Pain’s examination of it all is quietly profound and stirring. Above all, it finds poignancy in its characters and their well-drawn out relationship and internal agony. The closing shot of Kieran Culkin sitting in the airport with so much pain behind his eyes, still mourning his grandmother and still wayward, but having just enjoyed at least one week with his cousin (though not being sure when he will see him again), is magnificent. It sums up so much of the film’s embrace of messiness, imperfection, and the struggle to grieve, feel, live, and know simultaneously. A Real Pain feels essential in today’s world where we are constantly bombarded with bad news, then tasked with finding a way to live our lives anyway. It is hard to reconcile, a phenomenon that A Real Pain builds itself upon.

Beyond this, it is an incredibly pleasant and funny hangout film. Eisenberg is strong, capturing the internal struggle of a man like David with a lived-in authenticity. There is so much he wants to say and to be, but it all feels just out of his grasp. Next to him, Kieran Culkin is an absolute force. He is a comedic marvel at times, exuding the charisma and unceasing charm of Benji, while also tapping in so movingly to the broken heart at his core. Culkin is coming off incredible work in Succession and has followed it up with another brilliantly executed performance. He wonderfully masks the sadness with bravado and energy, while leaving just enough cracks in the facade to let that soul shine through. Watching him operate in Poland can be, all at once, cringe-inducing, hysterical, and heartbreaking, with Benji unafraid to express his every thought and feeling of the world while struggling to contain the sorrow within. The pair have great chemistry, while being two performers who capture such an authentic vibe and feeling. They so easily slide into their characters’ old rapport, then burst back into their present awkwardness. 

Eisenberg’s direction is similarly impressive, leaving plenty of room for the overall strong cast to find and express their characters, while the film makes the most of every minute. It is smooth and free flowing, really finding a rhythm that keeps it always feeling natural and never manipulative. The work of DP Michał Dymek impresses with some really nice long shots that soak in the scenery all around them, while matching the sense of awe and the auspicious feeling they have as they look around the areas where the Jewish community lived. Dymek’s work in the film’s more emotionally charged scenes, especially those in the dinner scene or the rooftop scenes, excels with medium shots and two-shots that are never too flashy but are effective in giving the cast visual space to work with in exploring their characters’ authentic reactions to the film’s most open and honest conversations.

A Real Pain is a great film from Jesse Eisenberg, powerfully wrestling with self-acceptance, grief, and life, in a heavy yet also laid back and funny hangout road trip film through Poland. The film’s ability to mine its setup and characters for such universal truths and meaning, while balancing poignancy and levity makes it an easy film to love. It feels like life incarnate, benefitting from the wonderfully authentic writing and naturalistic performances of Eisenberg and a terrific Kieran Culkin.