A REAL PAIN: A Review
by Karen Pecota

Jesse Eisenberg | USA | 2024

One of most endearing messages one can hear from a film director is a resounding, “thank you” to the audience for taking the time to watch their film. Filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg, honored to screen his work at Sundance, responds to the festival and to his viewers. The first thing that Eisenberg did, when introduced to the audience for the Q&A (question and answer) session after the screening of his film A REAL PAIN, was to express an eloquent verbiage of thankfulness. His transparency was impressive.

A seasoned talent in the independent film industry, Eisenberg shares, “The movie, A REAL PAIN, is a very personal story that follows two estranged cousins (David, played by myself and Benji, the remarkable Kieran Culkin) who embark on a tour of their ancestry in Poland. The narrative is rooted in my family’s history, down to the small house where the characters end their journey, which once belonged to my relatives.”

Entirely shot in Poland, Eisenberg’s wish is that his story and characters are relatable to any family relationships, its diversity, dynamics, and a curiosity about their history. He questions, “How do we reconcile the smallness of our individual troubles with the profound historical traumas of our ancestors?”

Eisenberg’s transparency continued as he recalled some of the humorous and anxious moments he had as the director, as well as a main principle in A REAL PAIN. He could not compliment his cast and crew enough, especially what he endured and learned from working with Culkin.

Eisenberg shares that at least six months prior to filming, his script was written and perfected, so he thought. Shooting begins and the day before the first scene with the cousins, Eisenberg asks Culkin if he’s ready, has any questions, or wants to run over the script. Culkin claims he has it under control but at the moment he doesn’t exactly remember what scene is up, but he will be ready when the cameras roll. Eisenberg is internally anxious and gets no sleep from worry. The shooting day arrives, the camera rolls and Culkin is in his element perfecting the scene better than Eisenberg had written it. Eisenberg was blown away and told his crew to not let Culkin out of their sight and film his every move and dialogue. Eisenberg was keen to capture Culkin’s expertise-in-full because he would make A REAL PAIN painless.