A Real Pain

If there are two people who differ like night and day, it is cousins David and Benji Kaplan. Family man David is reserved and pragmatic, chaotic Benji, on the other hand, is very free-spirited and eccentric - and this clashes. Nevertheless, the two decide to travel to Poland together, not only in memory of their beloved, recently deceased grandmother, but also to reconnect with their Jewish heritage. In Poland, the two are part of a Holocaust tour group and this too leads to hassles. For instance, David is deeply embarrassed when Benji criticizes the tour leader very outspokenly for lacking authenticity and emotional depth. And then there is their own family history.

In this self-written tragicomedy, director Jesse Eisenberg shows how pain and grief from the past can create enormous confusion if left unmentioned. And that confusion inevitably leads to conflict, so it becomes clear. Starring Kieran Culkin and Eisenberg himself in the lead roles.