- Release year: 2024
- Director: Jesse Eisenberg.
- Producers: Jesse Eisenberg, Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Ewa Puszczyńska, Jennifer Semler, and Emma Stone.
- Screenplay by: Jesse Eisenberg.
- Cinematography by: Michał Dymek.
Synopsis: two cousins go on a trip to Poland to learn about their Jewish heritage and how WWII affected their grandmother’s life and, as a result, theirs.
Shotgun Commentary: accurate representation of one of those moments in life that meant a lot to you but are now in the past.
Source: A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, 2024).
Review
A Real Pain is one of the funniest dramas out there right now, to the point where you wonder if its primary genre is drama or comedy. The feature follows two young men who travel to Poland to do a Jewish cultural heritage tour round the country and see the house where their grandmother lived before WWII.
Ha, funny… or is it?
The film begins very much like a comedy, with a hysterical man calling another over and over on his way to the airport to make sure his travel partner is there on time. In the meantime, said partner is chilling at the airport, completely unbothered and ignorant to his cousin’s worry. As the movie goes on, you soon realise that the first man’s anxiety was very much justified, but that is a whole other deal.
As the footage progresses you start noticing that the film is actually incredibly depressing, hilarious, yes, but mostly melancholic. It is faithful to real life, where there are no happy or sad endings, just one thing after another and some special moments in between. As such, the Polish experience of the two protagonists, cousins who have grown apart as they got older, is but a blip in their lives, a nice time they will keep in their memory without it being necessarily life-changing.
A few hard truths
Other than a bittersweet perspective of life, A Real Pain offers one of the most realistic portrayals of mental health issues possible. It does so by avoiding extreme dramatisations, the same technique it uses when it comes to actually showcasing an accurate representation of drug use.
Source: A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, 2024).
You won’t see gnomes if you smoke a bit of weed, but you will very likely eat anything on sight and crash after a bit, having some of the deepest sleeps you could ever have. It is the same with mental health. Chances are, you will be lucky enough to avoid extreme disorders, but “milder” ones are equally dangerous, just not as flashy and drama-friendly as others. In a novel turn of events, the feature showcases these two often-exaggerated tools of drama just as they are, thus respecting the overall sense of average reality of the story.
Nevertheless, this does not mean that there is no gravity in the film. There are plenty of powerful moments where you will feel the character’s situation deeply, their relatability deepening your connection with them even further. Of course, when it comes to intensity, one has to add the already heartbreaking realities of WWII to the narrative.
The power of silence
Realities that become almost overwhelming when the tourist group visits the concentration camp. This sequence is great for anyone who hasn’t been to one yet, as it shares a pretty accurate depiction of the experience.
As always, there are no big dramas, merely the devastating silence that reigns in these places and a minimal amount of basic information. In a world where “the good guys” seem to be perfectly fine with their members of government doing Nazi salutes, this experience is one that makes you stop and truly put things into perspective, even if just for a few seconds.
Who was in charge of the nominations this year?
Last, but most certainly not least, it is time to talk about yet another nomination this critic can not wrap her head around. Kieran Culkin has been nominated in the category of supporting actor this year for his role as Benji Kaplan, one of the aforementioned cousins.
Source: A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, 2024).
Now, Culkin absolutely devours this role and leaves no crumbs. He becomes a force of nature and, even though he brings his signature personality to Benji, he still makes it special, unique, hysterical, heartbreaking and fascinating all at once. There are no doubts that he deserves a nomination. However, supporting actor? Really? Who is he supporting, exactly?
The film is mostly about him, what he does, what he feels, and how other people see him. The other cousin, David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg) is but an afterthought, the narrator of his cousin’s story. So, once again, SUPPORTING? Are you sure, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?
All in all, A Real Pain is more a journey than it is a film. Much like the protagonists, you will be part of something special and then move on with your life, and that’s alright, because it doesn’t diminish any of its value. If anything, it’s an experience worth having.
Advice to take from this movie:
- It’s never too late to go on a family trip.
- Life isn’t as dramatic as cinema makes it seem, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth living.
- Picking a history book before judging the actions of your “hero” is always worth it, especially when something feels off…
Source: A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, 2024).
What’s your take? Have you watched A Real Pain? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀