The film follows two Jewish-American cousins who both travel to Poland to honor their late grandmother as they take part in a heritage group tour through the country to connect with their late grandmother and their roots. Along the way, they deal with their growing differences as well as deal with their grandmother’s past and the current state of their lives. Jesse Eisenberg’s screenplay is straightforward in its narrative as it is a character study of sorts in the two protagonists, he creates in the strait-laced family man David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg) and the free-spirited Benji Kaplan (Keiran Culkin). Using the money they inherited from their grandmother, they travel from New York City to Poland where they part of this group tour that include the retiree couple from Shaker Heights, Ohio in Mark and Diane (Daniel Oreskes and Liza Sadosky, respectively), the recently-divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey), a Rwandan genocide survivor in Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan) who converted to Judaism, and their British tour guide in James (Will Sharpe).
Eisenberg’s script brings a lot of depth to the people that David and Benji are with, as Mark and Diane are interested in learning about the former’s family roots while Marcia is also trying to find herself having gone through some recent events in her life. Eloge’s interest in Poland has more to do with his own interest in Judaism as well as wanting to learn the similarities of what he went through and the Jewish community during the Holocaust. During this trip, David and Benji deal with one another as the latter often speaks out over certain things while hiding things about himself that David would later share with the group. The two also leave the group early to see their grandmother’s home in Krasnystaw to honor her with Benji wanting to go there due to the close relationship he had with her.
Eisenberg’s direction is straightforward in terms of its compositions as it is shot on locations in Poland as well as some locations in New York City including JFK International Airport. Notably as he aims for intimate compositions in his presentations for scenes in the airplanes, trains, and buses as well as scenes in hotel rooms and restaurants through close-ups and medium shots. Eisenberg also uses wide shots for some of the locations including shots in various landmarks in cities and towns of Poland include Warsaw, Lublin, and Krasnystaw. Even as Eisenberg would create scenes such as Benji and the tourists reenacting the Warsaw Uprising with its monument behind them as it highlights Benji’s willingness to keep things lively to make the tour a bit more fun for everyone. It is among these lively moments that Eisenberg put into the film though the tour is an exploration of one of the most horrific events of the 20th century. Eisenberg also play into the differences between David and Benji with the former often sending phone messages to his wife back in New York City whenever he is alone while Benji would wander in a hotel where he and David would go on a roof to smoke some marijuana that Benji smuggled.
Eisenberg also plays into the darker elements of the trip as it relates to certain places that James takes the group to including a gravesite where Benji becomes annoyed by James being factual and to be aware that these are real people. It is among some of the somber moments in the film, including a dinner where David reveals to the group about Benji who went to the bathroom. One of the film’s most stark moments involves the group visiting the Mjdanek concentration/extermination camp as Eisenberg keep things simple and at a distance. Even in some of the buildings as it is among the stunning and discomforting moments in the film. Eisenberg still maintains a balance of comedy and tragedy as it plays into David and Benji’s trip to Krasnystaw to find their late grandmother’s home as well as the idea of what is next for them. Overall, Eisenberg crafts a touching and comical film about two mismatched Jewish-American cousins traveling to Poland to honor their late grandmother.
Cinematographer Michal Dymek does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in capturing the naturalistic look of the locations in Poland in the daytime as well as some of the usage of light for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editor Robert Nassau does amazing work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts to play into the some of the comical moments as well as giving the film some offbeat moments in the drama. Production designer Mela Melak does excellent work with the look of David’s home in New York City in its interiors as well as the look of some of the hotel rooms that they stay in. Costume designer Malgorzata Fudala does nice work with the costumes as it is casual that all the characters wear including a baseball cap that David wears and the loose clothing that Benji wears.
Visual effects supervisor Yuval Levy does terrific work with the visual effects as it set-dressing in some of the locations including bits in New York City and the videos that David has on his phone. Sound editor Tim Korn does superb work with the sound in the way a location sounds as well as in some of the sparse moments in the film. Music supervisor Erick Eiser does wonderful work in compiling the music as it features piano pieces by Frederic Chopin that is performed by Tzvi Erez as it adds a somber mood to the film.
The casting by Jessica Kelly is marvelous as it feature a couple of small roles from Ellora Torchia as David’s wife Priya and Jakub Pruski as their son Abe. Daniel Oreskes and Liza Sadovy are superb in their respective roles as the retired couple Mark and Diane as they travel to Poland for the former to learn about his ancestor’s homeland as they both make some witty comments about themselves and their trip. Kurt Egyiawan is fantastic as Eloge as a Rwandan genocide survivor who converted to Judaism as he is someone fascinated by the religion which plays into his own conversion as well as wanting to understand the similarities of how he and those from the Holocaust endured. Will Sharpe is brilliant as the British tour guide James who is full of facts and such though, he is taken aback by Benji’s criticism for not being emotionally connected into the landmarks and such.
Jennifer Grey is amazing as Marcia as California divorcee who just moved back to New York as she travels to Poland to find herself as well as her own roots as she is also going through her own emotional issues in relation to her life. Jesse Eisenberg is incredible as David Kaplan as the straitlaced cousin with a wife and child who is anxious and wanting to be things on schedule where he also deals with his cousin’s behavior as well as things that he is upset about towards him. Finally, there’s Kieran Culkin in a phenomenal performance as Benji Kaplan as a free-spirited slacker who has no filter in what he says while is also someone with some issues. Eisenberg and Culkin together are a joy to watch as they bring a lot of chemistry as these two mismatched cousins who deal with each other as well as why they are not as close as they used to be.
A Real Pain is a sensational film by Jesse Eisenberg that features great performances from Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. Along with its ensemble cast, usage of Frederic Chopin’s piano pieces, gorgeous imagery, and study of two men going on a journey to honor their grandmother. The film is a funny as well as heartfelt story about two cousins who try to reconnect despite their differences by going to Poland to learn about themselves and their late grandmother. In the end, A Real Pain is a phenomenal film by Jesse Eisenberg.
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