By Marta Karpovich
A Real Pain is about two cousins, David and Benji, who embark on a heritage trip to Poland, tracking their recently-deceased grandmother’s life through the horrors of the Holocaust.
The direction, by Jesse Eisenberg, is imprecise and plain, lacking meaningful artistic quality. The screenwriting is the strongest part of the film. The dialogue is intriguing, ironic, funny and thought-provoking. The mix of humor and drama emphasizes the confused emotions of the characters and what they experience on the heritage tour. The discomfort of traveling with a tour group is captured beautifully, and these scenes are steeped in wonderful irony. Yet, A Real Pain is unpredictable, and just as the audience thinks they know how the characters will behave, they do the opposite. This leaves the audience on the edge of their seats and a little uncomfortable throughout the film, wondering what will happen next.
The sound design of the film is wonderful and establishes a mood from the outset. It utilizes various instrumental, modern takes on traditional Jewish music that builds tension and emotion throughout the film. The music feels like a friendly companion on this journey through Poland.
The contrast between David and Benji is also intriguing, as their dichotomous personalities make for an uncomfortable yet hilarious experience. Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg, the stars, play their parts with subtle mastery, bringing deep and authentic emotion to the roles.
However, character development is strikingly lacking in A Real Pain. Throughout the film, new details about the characters’ lives are revealed, yet none of these details seem to add up. Much of the real meat of the story is hinted at, but never fully developed, which left me with a feeling of incompleteness. Many of the themes in the film had potential to create exceptional storylines, yet they were left untouched. I would have liked to see the characters develop throughout the story, but Benji and David remained the same as they were in the beginning. There seemed to be no arc that led the audience through the story and A Real Pain did not change my perspective at all upon the film’s end. A Real Pain almost achieves a home run, but strikes out at third base.
My prediction is that Kieran Culkin will win Best Supporting Actor this awards season. I also believe that A Real Pain has a good chance at winning Best Original Screenplay.
UPDATE: At the 2025 Golden Globes, held January 5, Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Real Pain.
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