We are all simply travelers when it involves the pain suffered by another individual. That is not to be interpreted as being against the significance of compassion and empathy. Quite the opposite, they seem more crucial now than ever before. But there are boundaries as to how far we can substitute ourselves for other people. Being a bystander, being in support, and being there to cry together these things make us and bring us together in humanity, but people have always got different emotional languages constructed together over the years of experience which serves as punctuators in times of hostility but can never be fully articulated.
This reality is part and parcel of Jesse Eisenberg’s brilliant film; ‘A Real Pain’: the story of two cousins who are fighting their demons to uncover the time when mankind suffered the greatest disaster. At its most basic, it’s a ‘water and oil’ story about two ‘brothers’ who have known each other for a long time but lived very different roles one is more robust and more emotional and the other conventionally feels emotional. Both wish to be like the other one. Eisenberg’s directing shows with convincing brilliance why in the end they cannot.
David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) have decided to take a trip to Poland where they wish to explore how the Holocaust affected the region while they focus on the town their grandmother lived in. The grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor, has passed away recently, and as she was Benji’s best friend, he is now caught in an emotionally helpless situation.
The slightly overaged babysitters who are around the same age participate in a tour group that was hosted by James (Will Sharpe) along with four budding actors Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egiywan, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes. Everyone here seems to share a common denominator- they were born in a different era and time, and when the journey is complete, they would ski worship all of Poland. The painful visit to Poland and Eisenberg’s portrayal of Polish people is captivating, and so is the idea of Benji paying them. This is one of the greatest strengths of Eisenberg’s brilliant screenplay.
Most viewers are likely to miss this as they’ll be too dazzled by what else is on offer, but what the Emmy-winning Culkin does in this film. In easily one of the best performances of 2024, he plays a man that everyone knows, or was at least at a stage in their life: A friend or family member who, while annoying at certain times, one secretly wishes to emulate to some extent even at their worst. Culkin is so raw and organic in sketching Benji as an actor never once feels staged. He fades away from the role almost instantly and we watched him for hours on “Succession,” and I think now he chooses most of his acting as he pretty much does not think even slightly about it. He portrays an inner monologue that Benji may not even be fully cognizant of or does, but which is expressed through his eyes, movements, and even voice.
What makes “A Real Pain” so special is the fact that Eisenberg the writer/director can neither feel sorry for Benji while also not glorifying him This character is such a pain in the ass. Although, when Benji says “Why the fuck do we need to take a train to a concentration camp” or barks at James because he simply recites facts instead of meeting locals in the places they go, he isn’t wrong. That one scene is quite amazing, it portrays perfectly, one of the most difficult and complex aspects of Benji’s real life. Many people were reluctant to criticize James because he was nice and well-informed which made it easy to vilify Benji as a fu**up, while in fact, he was simply being honest about how he felt towards the people and the world around him. In the world of Benji, where is the problem? Why do so few of us allow ourselves to feel and say such things? Isn’t repressing them the greatest source of suffering?
Everyone is going to love the movie due to Culkin’s performance but it also must be said that Eisenberg’s performance as a director and writer is not to be underestimated.
He gracefully and elegantly employs music, as witnessed when he discards the Yiddish score during the concentration camp, where silence does so much talking. seam smoothly the feature-length story of his film while trimming his film to a book of 90 minutes without any extra fluff making it feel complete. He documents Poland with admiration and respect and manages to avoid the travelogue strategy of treating traveling Americans which is a trap for a film of this kind. Every single time that “A Real Pain” is about to get too sentimental or overly touchy, Eisenberg’s pulling choices ensure that it doesn’t.
Good and solid foundations provide strength. The essence of the tale revolves around two people who have gone their separate ways owing to life’s course, yet share deep affection for one another. Each of the frames exhibits it profusely. Although he is the most sociable of all, the first to arrive at a foreign location and interested in everyone else’s stories, David has a family of a wife and child whom he longs for but is anxious that Benji will return home to loneliness. In just 90 minutes, a similar bond is created with David and Benji that we tend to share with our friends or cousins. Even if they are unable to feel his emotions completely, he demonstrates parts of himself to the audience allowing them to understand him. The art makes the audience feel as if all aspects of existence are appreciated, especially one’s suffering.
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