Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
“A Real Pain” is written and directed by Academy Award-nominee Jesse Eisenberg and also stars Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes.
It was during a trip to Poland, with his now-wife Anna Strout, that Eisenberg had what he calls a ‘strange revelation’. A two-week trip through the country landed him at the tiny house in the village of Kranystaw, where his aunt Doris had lived before the Holocaust displaced her entire family. “Had the war not happened, this is where I would be living,” Eisenberg remembers thinking. “What would my life be like? Who would I be?”
Twenty years later Eisenberg found himself back at that house, this time as the director, writer, and co-star of “A Real Pain”.
“A knockout.” — The New York Times
“Culkin and Eisenberg are an all-time comedic odd couple.” — Entertainment Weekly
“A masterpiece.” — Collider