Cert: 15A

A Real Pain

After the death of their beloved grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, mismatched cousins David and Benji take a trip to visit her family home in Poland to honour her. Previously close, they have drifted apart due to the responsibilities and disappointments of adult life. The trip forces them to confront their own resentments and personal demons, with both humour and raw emotion.

Against the backdrop of immense generational trauma, actor/director Jesse Eisenberg explores the complications of familial bonds. Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin give devastating, funny performances as the characters grappling with their history and the ways their own lives have diverged. The deftly humanistic script - rooted in Eisenberg’s own family past - plus terrific performances give this film a powerful emotional kick.

‘‘What’s most wonderful about the movie is its radiant generosity. Eisenberg’s performance is terrific, muted and hyperkinetic in all the right ways. But most often, he’s subtly directing attention to his co-star. Culkin is extraordinary.’

- Stephanie Zacharek, Time Magazine
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