Film Review - A Real Pain

Jessie Eisenberg writes, directs, and stars in this drama about Jewish cousins on a Holocaust tour in Poland, but Kieran Culkin steals the film

Credit: Searchlight Pictures

Two young American Jewish cousins visit Poland together to attend a Holocaust tour and learn more about their family heritage. As film premises, it’s nothing particularly new or original. However, writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s unassuming drama features strong performances, particularly from Keiran Culkin, whom expect will get an Oscar nomination and perhaps a win.

First seen waiting in the airport, Benji (Culkin) awaits the arrival of his cousin David (Eisenberg, in front of the camera as well as behind it). Married with a small child, David has a soulless job selling online advertisements, and suffers from OCD. The latter is immediately apparent in the number of progress report phone calls he makes to David during his journey to the airport. When he finally arrives, Benji tells him not to worry, as he’s been there for a while because he meets fascinating people at the terminal.

A full-blown no-filter extrovert wastrel entirely lacking in self-awareness, Benji has recently been devastated by the loss of their formidable Holocaust survivor grandmother, with whom he was particularly close. David has arranged this visit to Poland for them both, largely out of sympathy for Benji because they hung out together when they were younger. However, Benji is frustrated that due to his new family, David has less time for him these days.

The pair join a tour group in Poland led by knowledgeable Brit James (Will Sharpe). As they visit the various attractions, Benji’s interactions with the other tourists fluctuate between extraordinary charm and making a thorough nuisance of himself. David is frequently embarrassed by his cousin, but Benji criticises David for lacking spontaneity and not allowing himself to feel.

As filmmaking, this largely plays it safe, but that’s not a bad thing. Eisenberg admirably doesn’t draw attention to his direction, instead allowing the performances to dominate. He is excellent as the more buttoned-up but sympathetic David. However, there’s no question that Culkin is the driving force behind the film’s success. His character is, as the title suggests, a real pain. I certainly found him exceptionally annoying at times. But when not thoughtlessly lashing out due to mercurial mood swings, he can also be the life and soul of the party and provides highly amusing one-liners. “Money is heroin for boring people,” he quips at one point, in one of many digs at the rich.

The tour group is largely Jewish, with the exception of Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan); a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who has converted to Judaism. Eloge provides wisdom at key moments, and Egyiawan’s performance is understated and kind. Sharpe’s performance is good too, as are the rest of the supporting cast. Speaking of which, despite the aforementioned expectations that Culkin will be nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at the Oscars, to my mind, this is a leading role. A two-hander, alongside Eisenberg.

I had some concerns early on that this would descend into melodramatic mawkishness once the tour inevitably reached the concentration camps. Mercifully, my concerns were unfounded. The scene is treated with respectful sobriety and is all the more powerful for it.

This also has things to say about ancestry and identity. It explores the somewhat depressing idea that first-generation immigrant Holocaust survivors worked menial jobs so their children could go to school and work better jobs, only for the subsequent generation to navel-gaze about their comparatively minor problems. This brings us back to the title. What is “a real pain”? It doesn’t just refer to Benji but also to his grief and aimlessness in life. More emphatically, it speaks of the horrific suffering of the generation murdered by Nazi Germany and the trauma of those who survived. David wonders how, in the face of such horror, anyone has the temerity to suggest they are suffering when they face entirely routine challenges. But I don’t think the film shares his view. I think A Real Pain is ultimately compassionate, viewing all pain as worthy of sympathy from fellow humans, regardless of how commonplace or unusual the pain may be.

(Originally published at Medium.)

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