A Real Pain

Writer/Director: Jesse Eisenberg

After the recent death of their grandmother, David and Benji (Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin) head on a road trip to Poland to join a Jewish history tour and better understand their grandmother’s homeland and heritage. The boys are very different, leading to a trip where they make some tough discoveries about their heritage and relationship.

A Real Pain is not particularly original it’s a traditional road movie, with two very different people, who have grown apart. But the reason the structure keeps getting used is, when done well, it works very well. A Real Pain does the road movie very well, it’s funny when it should be, melancholic when it has to be, uncomfortable at times, touching and a film full of heart.

It is built around the often strained relationship between David and Benji. David the married man with a child and a stable job, while Benji remains the free spirit who wears his heart on his sleeve, speaking without a filter. But both of them hide hurt and worry. And in Rosenberg and Culkin you have two perfectly cast performers who are believable and relatable, bringing humour, pathos and heart.

The two are well supported in the form of the tour group they meet in Poland with Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes all used by the main characters to, in different ways, show difference and explore feelings and hurt. Each performance balanced just right.

The film is very well judged, none more so in its scenes at a concentration camp. Where it captures the poignancy of these horrific sites perfectly. With a thoughtful cinematic eye and gentle pace.

While A Real Pain is a traditional road movie, it’s an excellently done one. It’s funny, poignant and touching throughout and beautifully judged. Eisenberg and Culkin create two characters to believe in and care about, who take you on an enjoyable journey. A real joy of a film.