Kieran Culkin has this way of looking like he’s about to either hug you or ruin your entire life. In A Real Pain, he basically does both within the span of ninety minutes. It’s a weird thing, honestly. You go into a movie expecting a standard "indie road trip" vibe—two cousins hiking through Poland to honor their grandmother—and you walk out feeling like you just survived a family dinner that went off the rails in the best, most heartbreaking way possible.
Jesse Eisenberg wrote and directed this, and he stars in it too. He plays David. David is a high-strung, successful, deeply anxious New Yorker. He’s the guy who plans every train connection three weeks in advance. Then you have Benji, played by Culkin. Benji is a chaotic force of nature. He’s the guy who makes friends with the entire security line at the airport while David is sweating through his button-down shirt.
They are in Poland to see where their "Bubby" grew up. It’s a Holocaust tour, essentially. But A Real Pain isn't just about the tragedy of the past. It’s about the crushing weight of the present. It asks a very uncomfortable question: How are we allowed to be this unhappy when our ancestors survived so much worse?
The Friction Between David and Benji
The movie lives in the spaces between these two men. It’s awkward. It’s funny. Sometimes, it’s physically painful to watch. Eisenberg captures that specific brand of family resentment where you love someone so much you want to scream. Benji is "the favorite." He’s the one everyone gravitates toward because he’s charismatic and raw. But he’s also a mess. He’s grieving in a way that’s loud and intrusive. David, on the other hand, has "done everything right." He has the job, the wife, the kid. And yet, he feels invisible next to Benji’s magnetic tragedy.
There’s this one scene on a train. Benji decides they shouldn't sit in first class because it feels disrespectful to the history they’re visiting. He forces them to sit in the cramped, regular cars. It’s a small moment, but it perfectly illustrates the central conflict. Benji is performative but sincere; David is practical but emotionally stifled.
Most movies about the Holocaust feel like they’re trying to teach you a lesson. This one doesn't. It just shows you two guys trying to figure out if they even like each other anymore. The scenery of Poland—the gray skies, the old brickwork, the haunting silence of Majdanek—acts as a backdrop to their bickering. It’s a sharp contrast. You have these massive, world-altering horrors from the 1940s sitting right next to a guy complaining that his cousin is being "too much."
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Why the Critics are Obsessed with Kieran Culkin
Honestly? He deserves the hype. After Succession, people expected him to just play Roman Roy forever. But Benji is different. He’s not just a smart-ass. There’s a profound, vibrating sadness in him. Search for any review from Sundance or the fall festivals, and you’ll see his name in every headline.
Search interest for A Real Pain spiked because of the word-of-mouth regarding his performance. He has this monologue where he talks about his grandmother, and the way his face shifts from a smile to a mask of pure grief is incredible. It’s not "acting" in the way we usually see it. It feels like he’s actually falling apart in front of you.
Eisenberg, as a director, stays out of the way. He uses a lot of Chopin on the soundtrack. It’s elegant and a bit lonely. The camera doesn't do anything flashy. It just watches. It watches David watch Benji. It catches the eye rolls. It catches the moments where David realizes he’s actually jealous of Benji’s pain because at least Benji feels something deeply.
The Real History Behind the Locations
This isn't a studio backlot. They filmed in Poland. They went to Lublin. They went to Warsaw. They went to the Majdanek concentration camp.
- Radom: This is where the characters' grandmother was from. In the movie, it represents a lost connection.
- The Tour Group: The movie features a small group of other travelers. They provide a "normal" perspective that makes the cousins look even more dysfunctional.
- Majdanek: This is the turning point of the film. It’s handled with immense silence. No music. No clever dialogue. Just the reality of the barracks and the shoes.
A lot of people think A Real Pain is a comedy. It’s marketed that way sometimes. "Searchlight Pictures presents a hilarious road trip!" Well, it is funny. Eisenberg is a master of neurotica. But the humor is a defense mechanism. It’s the whistle in the graveyard.
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The "Pain" of Modern Comfort
The title is a double entendre. Benji is a real pain. He’s difficult. He’s exhausting. But the "real pain" is also the stuff that matters—the generational trauma, the loss of culture, the struggle to find meaning in a world that feels increasingly shallow.
David says something toward the end of the film that sticks with you. He’s talking about how Benji "sees" people, but he can't actually live in the world. It’s a brutal assessment. It highlights the divide between the people who feel everything and the people who just get things done.
Most films about Jewish identity focus on the suffering of the past. Eisenberg is more interested in the guilt of the survivors' descendants. We live in air-conditioned apartments. We have iPhones. We order oat milk lattes. How do we reconcile that with the fact that our grandparents were running for their lives?
It’s a heavy theme for a movie that also features a joke about a guy trying to buy drugs in a foreign country. But that’s why it works. It’s messy. Life is messy.
What You Might Have Missed
The cinematography by Michał Dymek is worth a second look. He uses a lot of natural light. Poland looks beautiful but cold. There’s a specific color palette—muted greens, browns, and grays. It feels grounded. It doesn't look like a postcard; it looks like a place where people actually live and die.
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The supporting cast, including Jennifer Grey (yes, that Jennifer Grey), is excellent. She plays a woman on the tour who is trying to find herself after a divorce. Her interactions with Benji are some of the most touching moments in the film. She sees the light in him that David is too frustrated to acknowledge.
How to Approach This Movie
If you’re going to watch A Real Pain, don't expect a fast-paced plot. Nothing "happens" in the traditional sense. They don't find a lost treasure. They don't save the world. They just go on a tour. They talk. They fight. They drink some vodka.
The "action" is all internal. It’s about the shift in their relationship. By the time the credits roll, you realize they haven't really solved anything. They’re still the same people. But maybe they understand the "pain" a little better.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Lovers
If you're planning on catching this on a streaming platform or in a boutique theater, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch the body language. Watch Jesse Eisenberg’s hands. He plays David as a man who is constantly trying to keep himself from exploding. The physical acting here is just as important as the dialogue.
- Read up on the history of the Radom Ghetto. Knowing just a little bit about the actual history of the locations makes the emotional stakes feel much higher. It’s not just "a town in Poland." It’s a graveyard.
- Don't look for a hero. There isn't one. Benji is captivating but toxic. David is stable but repressed. You're allowed to be annoyed by both of them. That’s the point.
- Listen to the silence. The scenes at the memorial sites are intentionally quiet. Let that sink in. In an era of movies that are constantly screaming for your attention with CGI and loud scores, the silence in this film is a choice.
A Real Pain is a reminder that we are all carrying things we don't know how to put down. It’s a small movie with a massive heart. It’s the kind of film that stays with you long after you’ve left the theater, making you want to call your family—or maybe just sit in a room alone for a while and think about where you came from.
Check the local listings or your favorite streaming service for the official release dates. If you’re a fan of character studies that don't pull punches, this is the one to prioritize this year. Don't let the "indie" label scare you off; it’s more relatable than most big-budget blockbusters.