In his second directorial venture, American actor Jesse Eisenberg delves into the complexities of pain—how we perceive it, process it, and live with it—in his film, A Real Pain, which follows cousins Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Eisenberg) Kaplan as they embark on a Jewish heritage tour of Poland, paid for by their late grandmother, to trace their family’s history, as one of her final wishes.
Poland is the land she left behind when her family emigrated to the United States. Interestingly, Eisenberg—who was raised in a Jewish family—traces some of his ancestry back to Eastern Europe. He wrote the screenplay and directed the film, which is an intimate exploration of personal grief and broader questions around historical memory.
Benji and David were not only cousins but childhood friends. Such friendships can seem both effortless and profound, forged in the intensity of youth, but as people grow and change, as their interests diverge, bonds that once seemed unbreakable fray, which is what happened to Benji and David.
Reckoning and rediscovery
The pair share a past and a deep connection with their grandmother, who had died months earlier. Yet their childhood friendship, like so many others, failed to withstand the test of time and they drifted. Reuniting in Poland is both a reckoning and rediscovery. One of the film’s central themes is how two people, shaped by the same roots, can endure similar struggles yet cope in entirely different ways.
Their guided tour is with a small group of Jewish travellers: a middle-aged couple, a recently divorced woman, and a male Jewish convert, who appears to be the most devout among them (hardly surprising, since conversion to Judaism is arduous, requiring years of study and commitment). Leading the tour is a non-Jewish British guide who is deeply fascinated by Jewish heritage and history.
From the outset, tensions emerge. Benji, played masterfully by Kieran Culkin, has erratic tendencies and sharp wit that make him an informal leader in the group. In contrast to Benji’s uninhibited openness, David is less open with his emotions and maintains rigid social boundaries.