Since 8th November in Polish cinemas (although the world premiere took place earlier this year) we can watch the film „A Real Pain”, directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg. The film “A Real Pain” tells the story of two cousins: David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (played by Kieran Culkin), who decided to travel to Poland to pay tribute to their grandmother who has recently passed away. Grandma Dora was Jewish and lived in Poland before she left for the United States. We meet the main characters at the airport in New York, just before flying to Poland. In the past, they spent a lot of time together, but later their paths diverged a bit. As it happens quite often, also here, the death of a loved one gives broken bonds a chance to rebuild. And it was the cousins who wanted to give themselves this chance and do it for their grandmother, who was very important in their lives. The journey that David and Benji decided to take could not be easy, because it was to take them through Poland in the footsteps of the Holocaust. They chose an organized tour (as they called it – geriatric tour, because most of the participants were older than them) and probably did not even suspect how much the presence of other people, who for various reasons are close to Jewish culture and religion, would bring to their lives. They were accompanied by a guide from the UK and a group of international tourists, with whom they visit Warsaw, and then, with a short stop in Kraśnik, they reach Lublin and Majdanek, and finally visit the house in Krasnystaw, where their grandmother lived. The last point of the tour was a very important element of this overseas expedition.
Before watching the film, one might suspect that the title „real pain” refers to the tragic history, to the Holocaust. With every next minute of the film, it turns out that this is not the only pain that the characters struggle with. The film raises an extremely interesting issue – we should remember history and its cruelties, but on the other hand, we should not be indifferent to what is happening around us, and also within us. And there should be no bidding, because „my pain is never better than yours”.
The film initially abounds in many funny, humorous situations or dialogues, but later it becomes more serious, reflective and moving. However, there is something in here that makes this film give us some strength, reflection, and we leave the cinema with a smile, that it is possible to talk about the Holocaust in this way.
And now a few more words about the cast and production of „A Real Pain”. Jesse Eisenberg – who in the film acts as David – may be familiar to most viewers from the film „The Social Network” (2020). It told the story of the creation of Facebook, with Eisenberg himself playing the role of Mark Zuckenberg, one of the founders of the still popular portal. Jesse has Jewish roots and his ancestors came from Poland (his great-grandmother on his mother’s side, was born in Krasnystaw, and one of his great-grandfathers on his father’s side, also came from Poland). He applied for Polish citizenship in 2023 and since this year he has been an Honorary Citizen of the City of Krasnystaw.
The second film cousin is Kieran Culkin, who played the role of Benji just brilliantly. Due to his surname and incredible physical resemblance, he can be associated mainly with … his brother, Macaulay, the famous Kevin from the films „Home Alone” or „Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”. Kieran also appeared in these two films, playing the role of Kevin’s cousin (cousin again! :), Fuller McCallister. He also appeared in the series „Succession”, for which he received a Golden Globe award in 2024 (Best Actor in a Drama Series). In the film, also Marcia joined the trip in the footsteps of the Holocaust – this role was played by Jennifer Grey, known to many viewers for her role as „Baby” in „Dirty Dancing”. This film is a Polish-American co-production, co-financed by the Polish Film Institute. One of the producers is Ewa Puszczyńska, Michał Dymek is responsible for the cinematography, Małgorzata Fudala for the costumes, and Mela Melak for the set design. The Polish poster for the film was created by Maks Bereski, whose works we could already see in the film „Seasons” (in Polish „Sezony”).
I strongly encourage you to visit the cinema – regardless of what attracts you to this film.
And please share your impressions!