A Real Pain
Credit: Janus Films
A profoundly endearing road movie, Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain is a tragicomedy about two Jewish cousins who confront intergenerational trauma by exploring long-lost Polish roots. Starring Eisenberg and scene-stealing Kieran Culkin, this film is survivor’s guilt personified: the cousins reopen wounds that they can’t quite grasp or resolve—and yet despite the pain, their rapport is deeply satisfying, rich with surprising laughs and even more surprising emotional payoffs.
As an actor, Eisenberg is magnificently neurotic; as a writer/director, he adroitly morphs laughs and barbs into gut-punch humor. He also knows this is Culkin’s film: their mix of caustic honesty and unexpected vulnerability rightfully led them both to Academy Award nominations, along with a 2025 win for Culkin in the Best Supporting Actor category.
A Real Pain is a must-see for Culkin fans—and for any fan of comedy that digs deep into emotional territory. Ripe with satisfyingly real characters and feelings, this film delivers. Memorable supporting turns by Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey and Kurt Egyiawan add unexpected layers. Restrained-but-focused cinematography by DP Michał Dymek lends gravitas to their history: geometric architecture, taciturn monuments, the creased faces of protagonists grappling with a difficult past.
Admittedly, intergenerational trauma plus guilt and depression is heavy stuff. In the wrong filmmaker’s hands, whisking us away on a Euro-bromance might feel twee or maudlin—but Eisenberg is up to the task: he knows precisely when to go for our laughter … and tears.
A Real Pain will move you when you least expect it.
Reviewed at NYFF 2024.
90 min.
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+