In 2022, Jesse Eisenberg released his directorial debut, When You Finish Saving The World, to mixed reactions from audiences. With A Real Pain, Eisenberg steps into the director’s chair once again. Where When You Finish Saving The World struggled to find its footing, A Real Pain confidently delivers the story of two opposite cousins on a heritage tour of Poland. Since its premiere at Sundance this past January, I’ve been looking forward to seeing how Eisenberg would handle a comedic tone in a film exploring the lasting generational trauma of the Holocaust. With A Real Pain, Eisenberg has definitely found his stride as a writer and director, expertly balancing comedy and melancholy in turn as his characters travel through their grandmother’s homeland and unpack their own past.
The film centers on David (Jesse Eisenberg), an uptight husband and father, who is often overshadowed by his abrasive yet charismatic cousin, Kieran Culkin’s Benji. Benji is brutally honest and completely ignorant of social norms, but manages to charm each person he comes across, including the other members of the cousins’ heritage tour group. He seems to simultaneously glide through life with ease, finding no trouble in the social situations that give David immense anxiety, and struggle to find his place and purpose after the death of their grandmother.
While I was initially surprised by the strength of Jesse Eisenberg’s work as both writer and director, by the end of the film, I was most impressed with both lead performances. Benji seems, at first, not too different from the role that introduced me to Kieran Culkin, and earned him an Emmy: Roman Roy from Succession. Here, however, Culkin brings an emotional core to the role of Benji that quickly undermines his charismatic persona. Since the death of his grandmother, Benji has been lost. While the way he seems to glide through life aggravates his cousin, it’s the only way Benji knows how to live without the guiding force of his grandmother. Culkin’s masterful performance grounds a character that could become overly irritating to the performance and brings such a strong sense of insecurity and grief to each line and facial expression that at times, I forgot I was even watching Kieran Culkin and got lost in the character of Benji.
I was perhaps even more surprised by how moved I was by Eisenberg’s performance as David. While Eisenberg’s trademark awkwardness works well here, he also brought an emotional depth to the character that I wasn’t expecting. Jesse Eisenberg is known for playing characters just like himself, and while David certainly draws from Eisenberg’s own personality, his moments of immense fear for his cousin’s future and frustration with Benji’s behavior feel much rawer than anything I’ve seen from Eisenberg in the past. David is often outwardly irritated and embarrassed by his cousin’s actions, but there is also a deep sense of jealousy that comes from Eisenberg’s performance. David often watches from the background as Benji charms the people around them, obviously wishing he had that ability. He wishes that he was back home with his family, working his nine-to-five job, instead of traversing Poland with someone like Benji, but he also loves his cousin deeply and does whatever he can to help him. Both actors portray deeply complex characters expertly, casting aside all my preconceptions and showcasing their acting abilities.
A Real Pain is marketed as a comedy, and its trailer certainly didn’t prepare me for the exploration of grief and generational trauma I found. As David and Benji make their way towards their grandmother’s childhood home, the gulf between them only seems to grow. While David was afraid of their grandmother’s bluntness, Benji’s own abrasive personality allowed him to form a special connection with her. Still, as their journey progresses, it becomes clear that the differences between the cousins doesn’t impact the love they share. Their experiences with grief are vastly different, and David still struggles to understand Benji as a person, but the challenges they face only make their relationship stronger. I was incredibly moved by the family narrative at the heart of the film, propelled by two strong performances.
With the end of the year, and awards season, fast approaching, it might be easy to let a small release like A Real Pain slip through the cracks. However, with a 90-minute run time, it is incredible how deeply the film is able to explore these two characters. I highly recommend fitting this short and extremely powerful film in before it leaves theaters. Beautifully written and directed, and with two of the best performances of the year, A Real Pain’s exploration of grief and memory should not go unnoticed.
Nicholas York is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He can be reached at [email protected].