A Real Pain

Released in the UK by Searchlight Pictures on 8 January 2024.

The sophomore feature from actor-director Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain is a story about two Jewish American cousins, David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Succession’s Kieran Culkin), as they take a tour around Poland in an attempt to honour their late grandmother and reconnect with their heritage. What starts off as a buddy comedy soon becomes a moving exploration of trauma and grief, as the pair embark on a Holocaust tour led by a knowledgable but detached tour guide (The White Lotus’ Will Sharpe).

“Kieran Culkin is a force of nature”

The Wrap

Recently awarded a Golden Globe for his performance in this film, Kieran Culkin is predicted to also take home an Academy Award for A Real Pain, and rightly so. His portrayal of Benji, a free spirited and at times chaotic drifter with a whole lot of unresolved emotion, is quintessentially Culkin as it balances Roman Roy’s quick wit with a quiet - and heartbreaking - vulnerability. As well as director, Eisenberg also gives a great performance as the highly-strung David, making for a perfect scene partner beside Culkin.

Expertly handling depictions of difficult family dynamics, generational trauma and grief and fitting them all into a tight 90 minute runtime, A Real Pain is extremely well done, and well worth the watch.

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