A Real Pain
Yeah, there is some pain involved.
Watching A Real Pain as a local is a fun experience; it’s interesting to see familiar Hollywood faces (Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) strolling down the streets of Warsaw, locations you pass daily.There’s an undeniable charm to seeing scenes shot on real streets, actual stations, and trains I often take, yet the novelty doesn’t overshadow the story—at least, not entirely.
The story is an intimate one, a relatively simple narrative about two estranged cousins who embark on a heritage tour in Poland to connect with their Jewish roots. Poland, a land soaked in Jewish history, tragedy, and resilience, feels like a fitting setting for such a journey. Here, the past is not forgotten; it's embedded in the architecture, the museums, and the somber memorials. This sets the stage for a film that could delve into deep emotions, where humor meets historical weight, and where family dynamics intersect with echoes of the Holocaust.
In theory, turning such a weighty theme into a comedic adventure makes sense. Our generation often approaches history differently, seeing it through a lens shaped by both remembrance and a desire to move forward. And while there's potential to make something poignant yet accessible, doing so demands an exceptionally skilled hand, a knack for balance that Eisenberg, on his second directorial endeavor, doesn’t quite achieve here.
The film tries to juggle various elements—comedy, history, family tension—but, in the end, it doesn’t dive deeply enough into any of them. The family drama is only lightly touched upon, as is the historical context, and the attempts at humor fall short. Despite being branded as a comedy, it’s not particularly funny. And while the film hints at the profound pain of Holocaust history, it struggles to resonate on a level that feels impactful.
As for the protagonists, despite Eisenberg’s competent performance and Culkin’s captivating eccentricity, there’s a surprising lack of character depth. They remain distant, almost intangible. The characters, and by extension the audience, remain static—there’s no real progression, no significant change by the end. When they return to the starting point of their journey, it’s clear that not much has shifted in their lives. Perhaps that’s the titular “real pain”—the cyclical, unresolved nature of their relationship and heritage. But without a stronger build-up, this theme doesn’t fully make sense. It feels true to real life, but is there really enough here to carry a full movie?
In the end, A Real Pain is visually polished and respectable in its ambition, trying to play with clichés and contrasts, yet it lacks the nuance and depth to pull the viewer entirely into its world. Eisenberg has set a thoughtful stage but hasn’t fully realized the emotional resonance it aims for: not deep enough to stir, not bold enough to stay.
6/10
