A Real Pain – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

A REAL PAIN, Holocaust Tourism & Gaza – Essay by Yael Friedman (Guest Post)

March 26, 2025May 6, 2025 Guest Post A Real Pain, Gaza, guest post, Holocaust tour, jesse eisenberg, Jewish roots, Kieran Culkin, lithuania, Poland, the female gaze, vilna, vilnius, Yael Friedman

A Real Pain utilizes the familiar tourist trip as a convincing canvas. Nailing down the charmingly Bohemian Benji (Kieran Culkin) by booking a conventional tour by the more conventional cousin David (Jesse Eisenberg), made sense. It was a perfect vehicle for allowing their dynamics, personalities, the themes of memory and trauma tourism, to unfold. The exposition in this screenplay was a master class, even though the actors are laying versions of themselves, or because of it. It’s a neat sleight of hand to turn a character you think you know into one entirely invented. As fun as Benji was and as envious as the more straitlaced and neurotic David got, the tragedy of Benji’s character pierced deeply. He endeared and broke and enraged you in equal measure. We never really find out why Benji has been cast adrift in life, and we don’t need to. We meet him where he is and worry for what is next. Just enough is given to make it real and utterly palpable.

Reviews

A REAL PAIN – Review by Susan Granger

December 18, 2024December 19, 2024 Susan Granger A Real Pain, holocaust, jessie eisenberg, Kieran Culkin

The story of Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain follows two estranged Jewish cousins – cautious, pragmatic David (Jesse Eisenberg) and unpredictable, free-spirited Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin) – who reunite for a Holocaust tour through Poland to honor their late, beloved Grandma Dory whose childhood home they’re planning to visit. Their travelling companions include wistful Los Angeles divorcee Marcia (Jennifer Grey), a stolidly boring older couple – Diana (Liza Sadovy) and Mark (Daniel Oreskes) from Shaker Heights – and soft-spoken, compassionate Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan) who fled the Rwandan genocide and later converted to Judaism. The itinerary takes them to a number of picturesque stops in Warsaw and Lublin with a somber visit to the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp.

Reviews

A REAL PAIN – Review by T.J. Callahan

November 13, 2024 T. J. Callahan A Real Pain, holocaust, jessie eisenberg, Kieran Culkin

A Real Pain is a Jewish history lesson complete with all the eccentricities and endearments. Jesse Eisenberg writes and directs as well as stars in the road-trip dramedy. He’s the perfect nebbish to Keiran Culkin’s shmegegge. Culkin really put himself back on the map with HBO’s Succession and he is at the top of his game now. Eisenberg is subtle perfection. Always able to make his acting look effortless.

Reviews

A REAL PAIN – Review by Diane Carson

November 6, 2024November 8, 2024 Diane Carson A Real Pain, holocaust, jessie eisenberg, Kieran Culkin

A Real Pain combines comedy with weighty issues. When considered merely escapist amusement, some comedies do not receive the credit they deserve for integrating serious commentary into an enjoyable film. For many fine comedies resonate with weighty subtexts, as Jesse Eisenberg proves in A Real Pain. Director, screenwriter and star, Eisenberg has a keen eye for effective compositions and a knack for witty banter.

Reviews

A REAL PAIN – Review by Susan Kamyab

October 18, 2024 Susan Kamyab A Real Pain, holocaust, jessie eisenberg, Kieran Culkin

A Real Pain follows opposite cousins David and Benji who reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. But their adventure takes a turn when tensions between the two resurface. The pain both characters are going through impressively speaks louder from their actions and sometimes silence, more so than any words they express to each other. A Real Pain is a sincere and thought-provoking, emotional journey that is elevated by the film’s beautiful and unforgettable performances. It’s a rare gem that will stay with you all year.