A Real Pain (2024)
Directed by Jesse Eisenberg
[Rated R] 1hr 30min
★★★★
A Real Pain is a comedy drama about two cousins who visit Poland for the first time by going on a week long Holocaust tour to see significant landmarks and the original home of their late grandmother. As they reflect on their heritage throughout the tour, they struggle to reconcile their current lives with their personal and family history.
This is a beautiful film that takes its historical elements and makes them more personal. The various places that the tour group visits have a range of emotional impacts on them, as some characters have intense and profound reactions while others have a more detached and academic approach. Each member of the group has vastly different perspectives and personal histories, so the interactions between their differing responses highlight the complex nature of immersing oneself in historical events. The most significant aspect of the film is the relationship between the two main characters, as both are fantastic in their acting and writing. Kieran Culkin is especially phenomenal with an impressive emotional performance, and Jesse Eisenberg writes an incredibly realistic portrayal of both characters that strongly emphasizes the familial bond between them. Overall, the complex relationship between the two cousins is highly compelling and becomes increasingly moving as the film goes on.
I recommend A Real Pain to anyone who enjoys character driven films that thoroughly explore key aspects of the characters’ pasts and personalities through a focused narrative. It can be funny, heartbreaking, and informative all while maintaining its sincere and meaningful core.
A Real Pain is now playing in theaters. Click here to watch the Official Trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper