‘A Real Pain’: What It Means to Remember 

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.