⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Rated R – Comedy/Drama – 89 minutes

Odd-couple cousins Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) get together after some time away from each other to visit the home of their recently-deceased grandmother in Poland. A Real Pain focuses on the relationship of Benji and David as they join a tour group with other Jewish tourists that are on various pilgrimages of their own. The film deals with some heavy context both interpersonal and external and this is where the film really shines.

In addition to co-starring in the film, Jesse Eisenberg also wrote and directed. While never really certain if we’re watching a buddy comedy or a family drama, Eisenberg manages to thread the audience through the story in a way that’s never boring. A quick watch at 89 minutes long, A Real Pain isn’t about comical relationships between family members as much as it is a stark reminder of the incredible pain suffered by Polish Jews not all that long ago. 

The film bounces between moments of levity and familial relationships and the Jewish experience in Poland during World War II and beyond. It’s heavy subject matter at times, broken up with real emotion both manic at times and depressive… but always real. 

In today’s political climate, I think this is an important film for everyone to see. It’ll help remind people of the history we must never repeat. I hope the film’s stars, Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg, and a delightful Jennifer Gray all help bring the story to people that might otherwise overlook a film that’s as historical as it is dramatic. 

A Real Pain is about pain that is multifaceted and handled differently by each character. Pain is something we all feel at one time or another and that’s what makes this film so relatable. The film hits theaters today.