Jesse Eisenberg’s latest film takes an audience on a 90-minute journey through Poland that examines both the Jewish experience and themes of family, love, sorrow and loss. It can be viewed as a visual manifestation of ‘real pain’ shadowed by childhood memories and grief which leaves an audience reflective of an authentic human experience.
Framed against the beautiful backdrop of Poland, A REAL PAIN explores the complicated relationship between two Jewish-American cousins, David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin), as they fulfil their late Grandmother’s wishes of embarking on a tour of the country. Their tour guide’s opening line is: “This will be a tour about pain, suffering, loss and also a tour that celebrates people”. The statement is not only a comment on the historical and cultural significance that the characters and the audience will experience but the film as a whole. The narrative has a strong sense of conceptual neatness, precise themes and a consistent, clear purpose. The dialogue further uses a repetition of the word ‘pain’ as if it is being passed around the characters throughout the tour.
The film uses Poland as a visual and sensory tool that grounds the film’s emotional core, making you feel as if you are on the tour with the group. Shots of the architecture and landscape act as a continuous reminder of the meaning behind the trip, not only for David and Benji but also for the people around them who assist in illustrating the feelings of realism the screenplay does so well to portray. The cinematography is transparently beautiful, and the accompaniment of classical music from Polish composer Chopin resonates with calm.
From as early on as the opening scene, where we see David’s anxious attempts to contact Benji before their flight to Poland, the two cousins are established as contrasting characters. Their strenuous but ultimately loving relationship drives the core theme of the narrative – family connection and the unshakeable love it holds. Benji projects a relaxed and deeply likeable persona with the ability to form meaningful connections with a multitude of different people. His eccentrism, however, brings with it an open, raw state of emotion, and the confidence in himself that is seen as so admirable by the audience and characters alike is actually reflective of a deeper grief and pain. David, while also displaying polite interpersonal skills with the rest of the group, is far more uptight and self-conscious in comparison, displaying his emotions in an arguably far more controlled manner.
“In the film, Eisenberg also interestingly uses Benji to examine the concept of Holocaust Tourism and its ethical implications.”
Throughout the film, there are multiple references to David and Benji’s fond childhood memories, often brought up by Benji, establishing that despite everything, the connection between these two cousins is deeply cherished by both. The continued feeling of nostalgia and reminiscing of their childhood is a defence for Benji to return them to a carefree childish innocence that the ‘real pain’ of adulthood just isn’t compatible with. “Try not to picture the horrors to come”, another line from their tour guide, James (Will Sharpe), is ambiguously comparable to A REAL PAIN’s own narrative. As the film progresses, the cracks within Benji’s insouciant facade begin to show, courtesy of Culkin’s outstanding ability to display such a contrasting range of emotions. Benji’s erratic changes in behaviour, such as a more brash tone and pushy attitude, are shocking for his tour companions and can be awkward for them to deal with, but this dramatic shift merely highlights the depth of emotion and compassion that the character struggles to contain. Eisenberg’s writing displays this human authenticity, helping to examine the way feelings of grief and pain can be portrayed in different personas.
“As the film progresses, the cracks within Benji’s insouciant facade begin to show, courtesy of Culkin’s outstanding ability to display such a contrasting range of emotions. […] Eisenberg’s writing displays this human authenticity, helping to examine the way feelings of grief and pain can be portrayed in different personas.”
In the film, Eisenberg also interestingly uses Benji to examine the concept of Holocaust Tourism and its ethical implications. Throughout the tour, the group visits locations that are common tourist attractions in the country’s history, such as Grzyów Square in Warsaw. Holocaust Tourism is not without its concerns of integrity and potential exploitation, which creates an oxymoron at the heart of the film. In the beginning, Benji’s actions are deployed to more comedic effect. His unwavering leap to get involved with The Warsaw Uprising Monument is unconventional, and paired with the erratic handheld camera movements and David’s clear discomfort whilst being handed everyone’s phones for a picture, creates a comedic scene to start the tour off with. However, Benji’s behaviour has notably shifted by the time the group reaches The Old Jewish Cemetery in Grodzisko Hill. Whilst the rest of the group, David included, are happy to listen to the facts and follow James, Benji is less concerned by the tour routine. Instead, he begins to debate the ethical considerations of simply regurgitating facts, becoming increasingly more aware of the potential for exploitation and tacky tourism. Majdanek Concentration Camp – where the tour ends – becomes an emotional centrepiece for both the tour and the film, as the characters, audio, and perhaps audience are silenced by the respectfully stripped-back scenes filmed within the camp that leave only the sound of the bus engine as they drive away and Benji’s breathing.
A REAL PAIN is wrapped inside a haze of remembrance and authenticity that feels flooded with memories not only of the past but the present and future as well. The exact definition of the ‘real pain’ described in the title is never truly revealed, and the film comes to no real conclusion as we watch the final heartbreaking scene of Benji in the airport. Yet, the lack of a new equilibrium or a so-called ‘happy ending’ is arguably far more poignant for this film. A REAL PAIN instead appears to want to foreground simply the nature of human complexity, experience and emotion. Exploring these intricate characters creates a surprising emotional authenticity and a sense of transparent peace that leaves a bittersweet aftertaste.