A Real Pain

I just finished this film and I have to say I'm surprised reading some of the bad reviews about it, I know film perception is subjective but I don't understand how someone could dislike this film. It was so interesting to me, and the thing is, nothing big really happens, you just follow these two cousins along their trip, it's normal, it's almost casual. There are not going to explain everything to you because there's no need for it. We have access to the superficial, to the bare minimum because that how the characters relate to each other, there so much they don't understand and so much that they don't say. The performances are all incredibly, especially Culkin. I was left crying by the end. Maybe you need to have dealt with depression to connect with it more. Maybe you need to have seen someone you love survive (or not) this painful illness. But I'm happy for this type of movies to exist. This stories also need to be told. As rare and unfitted for some people may seem.

"Grandma Dory" has passed away and left her two grandsons some money so that they can take a trip to Poland and see where she grew up amidst the Nazi invasion and subsequent holocaust. These two are cousins. "David" (Jesse Eisenberg) is a bit of a shy, geeky, type who lives in New York with his wife and child. "Banji" (Kieran Culkin) is quite the opposite. A free spirited, thinking and speaking individual who cares little for what anyone else thinks about him. The pair clearly love each other, but the behaviour of the latter continues to rattle his travelling companion, especially when they meet up with the other members of their touring party in Warsaw. What now ensues is quite a testament to both Eisenberg's vision as a writer/director but also to the inspired casting of Culkin. He is the kind of holiday companion I'd cheerfully have killed with a rusty harpoon. Loud, brash, opinionated and sometimes borderline cruel as he imposes himself on the group swearing as he goes. Gradually, though, we discover that both men have shields up; both are dealing with some fairly deep psychological issues in their own way and even ought these may clash, there is still far more fundamentally connecting them that not. There are ample opportunities to see the sights of Warsaw, and there is an haunting few minutes at the Majdanek camp where shoes, thousands and thousands of shoes, make you shiver. It's potent and it's often funny, darkly so, and in many ways it slots nicely into the recent panoply of dramas about the fascination by younger generations in the horror of war that those who endured actually want to get past and forget. It also shines a light on the whole business of tourism around these monuments, and does make it quite clear that sometimes these trips can become a statistical box-ticking exercise, especially for Americans, who want to say they've "done" that. An architectural monument equivalent of a safari "big five". In the end I found "Benji" to be a vulnerable but fundamentally selfish and unlikeable character - but I bet there are many reading this who profoundly disagree. That's proof that these two did their job well and I'd recommend you go see it in a cinema for a couple of powerful and characterful performances.

I really enjoyed the movie for several reasons.

1. It moved right along and was short but satisfying for 1:30 hours run time.

2. Great screen play, direction and acting from Jessi Eisenberg. His role David was conflicted about his feelings for his troubled cousin Benji, and that felt very real and relatable.

3. Kieran Calkin plays Benji, a loud, emotional guy who isn't afraid of voicing his opinions and can be a burden to other people but wins them over because of his charm and heart. His acting was superb and very believable (we all know a guy like that in our lives).

4. It is a road movie and shows various sites of Poland and its dark history in a most unpretentious and natural way.

5. Supporting actors including Will Sharpe and Jennifer Gray were also amazing and the ensemble cast had very good chemistry.

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good original human drama that is not over-dramatic and over-wrought which this movie wasn't.

I won't cover what others have already said. This isn't a comedy or a road movie and it's not some commentary on the horrors of war.

For me this quaint indie (feeling) flick is really an observation about living with someone with mental illness. If looked upon from this angle it is well observed and touching and uses its three acts to unfold all the different dynamics in the cousins relationships using the backdrop of the road trip and the visit to the concentration camp. It deliberately subverts expectations by not providing a defined ending (often the case in this situation) and the scenes often don't lead to expected outcomes. That's what life can be like when your are dealing with that issue.

For me this made the film an interesting (if flawed) study that was definitely worth the watch. YMMV.

I saw this film at the AFI film festival in Hollywood last week. By the time I got to this film, I was suffering from a bit of filmgoing overload, and chatting with someone in the audience before the film began, I almost forgot what I was I going to see! But I was so glad I got to see this one! As you know from the synopsis, Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and stars in this great film about 2 cousins' journey to Poland to see the land of their beloved grandmother. Eisenberg perfectly plays a role that he seems made for - an uptight, nervous and dedicated family man who always wants to do the right thing. Joining Eisenberg is Kieran Culkin who plays the polar opposite of Eisenberg - he is garrulous, open, and willing to break the rules, much to Eisenberg's chagrin. Culkin's character easily makes friends with his fellow travelers and guide - again much to Eisenberg's amazement (and sometimes annoyance). The story itself is very involving, and you will find yourself wanting to join them on their tour. Culkin may be in the running for an Oscar on this one and Eisenberg may get a nomination for screenwriting and/or direction. So, I highly recommend you check this one out as soon as you can.