A Real Pain movie storyline. Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg (When You Finish Saving the World, 2022 Sundance Film Festival) returns to the Festival with a poignant, funny exploration of the unexpected permutations of intergenerational trauma. Eisenberg’s intimate, resonant script complements the tension and humor of the two very different cousins’ tumultuous road trip with a sensitively drawn reckoning of the legacy of World War II among the survivors of survivors.
While Benji’s irreverent charm only partially masks his deep melancholy, David’s frustration with and genuine love for his cousin become achingly clear. Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin give devastating, funny performances as characters grappling with their grandmother’s history and the ways their own lives have diverged. Michał Dymek’s eloquent cinematography and a Chopin-driven score bind the tour group’s complicated, emotional reaction to the Polish setting into the texture of the film.
A Real Pain is a 2024 comedy drama film, written, directed, and produced by Jesse Eisenberg. It stars Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes. Emma Stone serves as a producer under her Fruit Tree banner. It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024. The film was released in the United States on October 18, 2024 by Searchlight Pictures.
A Real Pain (2024)
Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes, Ellora Torchia, Piotr Czarniecki, Krzysztof Jaszczak, Marek Kasprzyk
Screenplay by: Jesse Eisenberg
Production Design by: Mela Melak
Cinematography by: Michal Dymek
Film Editing by: Robert Nassau
Costume Design by: Malgorzata Fudala
Makeup Department: Olga Nejbauer
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout and some drug use.
Distributed by: Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: January 20, 2024 (Sundance), November 1, 2024 (United States)
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