CIFF Centerpiece Film “A Real Pain”: Cousins, Chaos, and Beauty in the Ordinary

Filmgoers of “A Real Pain” may feel it was just that — a real pain to slog through — while others may see its mundaneness as refreshing in a cinematic world of big budgets and superhero fodder. The beauty of “A Real Pain,” in my opinion, is in this divisive artfulness. The characters are preening; the Poland setting acts as a mere backdrop that may as well be a Green Screen; and the plot is so devoid of any denouement that it literally ends where it begins: with moon-eyed people-watching at the airport.

“A Real Pain” chronicles estranged cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benjamin “Benji” Kaplan (Kieran Culkin), who reunite for a trip to Poland to honor their late grandmother. David is all button-ups, itinerary, and tearing up over videos of his son; Benji is unassuming, has no social filter, and is prone to erratic outbursts. How different are they? Upon touchdown in Poland, Benji picks up weed he had delivered to their hotel while David picks up the room keys and calls home.

The rest of the film then takes place over the course of what Benji coins a “geriatric Polish tour.” The cousins connect with five others (a divorcee in need of reinvention; a retired couple; a Rwandan convert to the Jewish faith; and a statistics-obsessed tour guide) for a deeper look into real historical pain. While each attendee journeys through their own grief related to the tour, it’s Benji’s emotions that make up the film’s core. He struggles to maintain a sense of “normalcy” amidst the tour’s heavy content, and throws many ill-timed tantrums that disrupt the group. The least realistic part of the script is how easily he’s forgiven by the others due to his charm. Only once does the spotlight seem to shine on another character, and it happens when Culkin is out of frame. As David, Eisenberg delivers a stunning monologue about his contained rage and love for his cousin, and sheds light on the pain we often can’t — or don’t want to — see in others.

Perhaps the reason David and Benji are believable is because the actors’ personalities fit their molds. Eisenberg is notorious for roles that tap into internalized anxiety covered in a false sense of confidence (cue “The Social Network” or “Zombieland”). And Culkin is the king of improvisation and unpredictability. If you’ve seen him on HBO’s “Succession,” you may feel like you’re watching a sadder version of his Roman Roy.

All in, while “A Real Pain” might not accomplish much in the lanes of character development or profound messages, it’s a film that manages to express something we all have undoubtedly felt in life: how we find ourselves “baffled by the way the world carries on when there’s many reasons to be shocked or appalled.”

Movie Times: Click Here
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Actors: Kieran Culkin, Kurt Egyiawan, Jesse Eisenberg, Jennifer Grey, Daniel Oreskes, Liza Sadovy & Will Sharpe
Run Time: 90 min
Rating: R for Language Throughout and Some Drug Use