Great dramas make you laugh. Great comedies make you feel. It is rare for a film to balance drama and comedy to the point where the two are so intertwined that they begin to merge, but “A Real Pain” does exactly that.
The film is Jesse Eisenberg’s second as a writer and director, following the 2022 release of “When You Finish Saving the World.” The story follows two cousins — David, played by Eisenberg, and Benji, played by Kieran Culkin — on a trip to Poland after the death of their grandmother, a Polish Holocaust refugee. Once as close as brothers, the two have since drifted apart. David has a wife, a kid and a successful career. Benji, on the other hand, is an impassioned man with nothing really going on in his life. As the two explore Poland with a Holocaust tour group, Benji’s social abrasiveness and strong opinions both unsettle and endear him to David and the group.
Culkin won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role on Jan. 5 and is a frontrunner for the Oscar for good reason — he is by far the highlight of the film. Benji is an extremely multifaceted character. You love him and you hate him. He makes you laugh and cringe. You never know what to expect from him. Culkin takes these complex characteristics and turns them into a rich and believable character. He embraces Benji’s antics to their fullest, creating hilarious moments with great comedic timing, as we never fully know what he is about to do next. He navigates Benji’s range of emotions — from nihilistic to outspoken to depressed to goofy — with precision and competence, ultimately allowing us to see Benji clearly despite his complications.
David, on the other hand, is shy, fidgety and reserved, but Eisenberg delivers a solid performance. As the straight man in this duo, David’s comedic moments are often found in his exasperated responses to Culkin’s impulsiveness and lack of care for social norms. However, Eisenberg shines in his dramatic moments. A heart-to-heart with Benji on the rooftop or a moment where he vents his complicated feelings about Benji to the rest of the tour serves to give insight to a man who does not always express his true feelings. Eisenberg brings a realness to a character who wants to do right by his cousin but does not fully know how.
Eisenberg’s screenplay is another strong aspect of the film. It is a true dramedy, with incredible jokes and heartfelt emotion. This is a movie driven by sharp, witty and impactful dialogue, often funny and sad at the same time. Taking a responsible, timid man and pairing him with one who says or does whatever comes to mind gives ample opportunity for inter-character drama and banter.
A major topic throughout the screenplay is the Jewish experience of descendants of Holocaust survivors. David and Benji have lived very privileged lives, and returning to where their family lived and fled introduces difficult emotions. The characters realistically portray the different ways people may react to such an experience — and this difference sometimes creates conflict. There isn’t much subtlety; the characters often say exactly what their problems are. For example, during the tour, Benji is critical of the tour guide for, in his view, turning a very emotional experience into a mere history lesson. However, their confrontational dialogue makes sense, as they are honest characters. It may sometimes be a bit too direct, but it works nonetheless.
One particular moment that perfectly captured the somberness of the history was a short montage in what used to be a Jewish ghetto. A voiceover of the tour guide plays, describing Jewish places and businesses while the camera shows the locations today. Most are unrecognizable. The erasure and persecution echo throughout the empty streets. It’s a powerful, simple scene driven by great cinematographic choices.
Along with this scene, there are a few others with notable aesthetic cinematography that contribute to the development of the characters and their dynamics. A backpack between Benji and David at the airport both physically separates the characters and subtly suggests their emotional distance as well. Benji and David walk through a park at golden hour laughing. The city lights bounce off their faces on the rooftop as they discuss their complicated feelings. These shots, mostly stationary, compliment the scenes’ slower pace and more relaxed nature. In them, we see them and their relationship the clearest. Beyond these subtleties, the cinematography tends to not draw attention to itself. It does what it needs to do and not much more.
From another technical aspect, the score is comprised almost entirely of compositions by nineteenth-century Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. Chopin’s breadth of work provides the film with a diverse soundtrack, from melancholic to intense to beautiful, that resonates with the story.
“A Real Pain” delivers a hilarious and heartfelt exploration of the relationship and pain between two cousins who somehow fully understand each other and yet not at all. Driven by a masterful performance by Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain” is truly an incredible dramedy.
Rating: ★★★★1/2
