The story of Jews over the past century is one of deep pain and tragedy, yet also resilience and defiance, and their shared story relates to all humans more than most realize. In his sophomore directorial outing “A Real Pain,” Jesse Eisenberg explores modern Jewish history to craft a poignant exploration of inner, prolonged pain rooted through the complexity of the Jewish experience.
The film follows cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) Kaplan, who travel to Poland to learn about their Jewish heritage following the death of their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. As he bears witness to painful remnants of the Holocaust, David also struggles to accept Benji’s overly extroverted yet deeply troubled personality.
Taking viewers on an odyssey through modern-day Poland, “A Real Pain” celebrates the country even as it details the horrors that occurred there. Extended dialogue-free montages show Poland’s colorful landscapes, vibrant streets and remarkable artifacts — even when the characters visit harrowing sites, the film’s underlying tragedies do not overshadow the country’s beauty and its recovery following World War II. The relatability of the tour group allows viewers to feel like tourists themselves and encourages them to appreciate Poland as well.
“A Real Pain” studies the complexity of human emotion, balancing comedy and drama to elicit diverse cathartic reactions from viewers. Culkin’s standout, Golden Globe-nominated performance as Benji, channeling his Emmy-winning portrayal of Roman Roy in “Succession,” draws both laughs and tears as his character goes through all the emotions while exploring Jewish history in Poland. Eisenberg complements his masterful work behind the camera with a powerful performance in front of it as David, providing powerful relatability as the film’s viewpoint character.
While audiences of any background can appreciate the film, “A Real Pain” will especially stick with Jewish viewers, who may find that they relate to the film’s plot and characters. The film acknowledges the traumatic impact the Holocaust continues to have on Jewish people, even over 80 years later. The diverse cast of Jewish characters, from lifelong observant Jews to a recent convert to Judaism, unite under a shared purpose of discovering and honoring their shared history — a pattern that emulates the Jewish experience today. After a year of deep pain for Jewish people worldwide, “A Real Pain” honors those who have stood tall in the wake of adversity and aims to help those who have been knocked down to get back up on their feet.
Although its themes are rooted in Jewish values, any viewer will be moved by “A Real Pain”’s existentialist themes and study of generational trauma. David and Benji are torn between the expression or suppression of emotion, with David becoming gradually irritated by Benji’s efforts to help the tourists grapple with their inner demons. David is also discomforted by Benji’s mental health struggles, as he doesn’t understand how someone whose ancestors survived one of the largest genocides in human history could have such disdain for life.
The cousins’ complex relationship makes them serve as foils for one another and challenges the viewer’s understanding of human emotion. As David navigates his people’s history while dealing with Benji’s erratic personality, he realizes that his turbulent relationship with Benji emerges from the pain he has been hiding all along. Benji, on the other hand, discovers that his own suppression of pain has caused distress to the people who love him. By opening themselves up to one another, David and Benji realize that the only way to help themselves is to help each other, too.
Generational trauma, along with the pain we possess even as we have the tools to live happy and healthy lives, sets up the film’s core dilemma. Are we entitled to battle our own demons when our lives are far more fortunate than those who came before us? By rooting this question in the context of one of the most evil events in modern history, Eisenberg deliberately leaves these questions open-ended, allowing the viewer’s evaluation of the characters’ journeys to guide their conclusion. This is portrayed in a literal sense, with the film ending on an inconclusive note, but also in how the viewer’s own self-esteem will guide their final thoughts on the film’s messages.
As a film with considerable complexity even in its limited runtime of 90 minutes, the viewing experience of “A Real Pain” is far from its title. In an emotionally complex world that seems to be running too fast to care for those who need a helping hand, “A Real Pain” is a hopeful and compassionate film that reminds its viewers that their pain, no matter how big or small, is justified and will pass as long as they allow the people they love to guide them to healing.
