In A Real Pain, director Jesse Eisenberg delivers a darkly comedic exploration of grief, identity and family bonds during the film’s one hour 30 minute runtime. Eisenberg stars as David Kaplan, a tightly wound New Yorker, alongside Kieran Culkin as his wildly unpredictable cousin, Benji. Their journey to Poland, meant to honor their grandmother’s legacy as a Holocaust survivor, becomes a tangled web of awkward encounters, emotional revelations and manic chaos.
Eisenberg’s David is an uptight, reluctant traveler whose discomfort practically radiates from the screen, while Culkin’s Benji is a tornado of impulsivity, frequently upending even the simplest of situations. Benji’s erratic behavior injects both humor and tension, creating a series of painfully awkward moments that vacillate between laugh-out-loud absurdity and toe-curling secondhand embarrassment. Whether it’s a culturally insensitive blunder or an ill-timed outburst, Culkin’s performance walks the line between endearing and infuriating, adding layers to the film’s emotional complexity.
The cinematography beautifully contrasts Poland’s stark, wintry landscapes with the intimacy of the characters’ emotional journey. The muted tones feel like a visual metaphor for the weight of familial and historical trauma. The elegant use of Chopin’s piano compositions adds a layer of melancholy beauty, making even the most mundane moments feel like existential turning points.
The film’s tonal shifts are both its strength and its Achilles’ heel. While Eisenberg captures the messy interplay of humor and heartbreak with sharp insight, some transitions feel abrupt, leaving the audience unsure of whether to laugh, cringe or cry. A few scenes overstay their welcome, particularly when Benji’s mania dominates the screen, creating a sense of narrative imbalance.
Nonetheless, A Real Pain succeeds in blending sharp comedy with emotional depth. It’s an unconventional, sometimes uncomfortable, but ultimately rewarding journey through the tangled threads of family and history.
RHFC Rating: 4/5 🍿
