Going into A Real Pain, I had heard some buzz due to Jesse Eisenberg being two-for-two in films he has directed and wrote at Sundance alongside performance discussions when it comes to Kieran Culkin… but don’t let me get ahead of myself here.
Eisenberg and Culkin play cousins David and Benji (respectively), who have not seen each other in quite a while despite being the best of friends growing up. After their grandmother passes away (whom Benji was particularly close to), they reunite to take a flight to Poland in order to learn more about their family and visit the house where their grandmother was raised. They spend most of their time with a tour group led by James (Will Sharpe), and as their trip proceeds, A LOT is uncovered; good, bad, and intense.
This is the kind of film that runs the gambit of all of the feels. From loss and grief through humor and familial bonds, there is a level of raw to this script that shows something that just about everyone can identify with. (Warning: there may be a minor spoiler in the rest of this paragraph.) As this rollercoaster of emotions plays out, it really picks up the intensity as they visit an actual concentration camp (the first ever time in a narrative film that this has been accomplished) as the cousins and the others in their tour group truly come to grips with the stories they bring with them. Cold War cinematographer Michal Dymek puts it all out there with an intimacy that put me right there in the group with them at each and every moment of their journey together, grabbing me and not letting me go until the house lights came up.
From a performance standpoint, I absolutely see Culkin getting some nomination love come first of the year. There are some absolute powerhouse performances I have seen this year, but the size and breadth of what is expected of him to bring Benji to life is nothing short of herculean, and he does so almost as if he wrote the part himself. From aloof to intense to guarded and even a sense of devil-may-care, he truly understands the assignment here.
As far as where A Real Pain will wind up on my list come end of the year, we are closing in on that deadline rapidly, and the chances of it not making a strong case for that top ten spot are REALLY good. This is not the type of film I could do repeat viewings of, but that I think that is on a certain level the intent of it. The level that it still resonates with me almost a week and a half later I believe is its intent, and it really does so.
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