“A Real Pain” by Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin is the funniest and saddest film I have seen this year.

There is something strange about grief, and A real pain captures it perfectly. The film, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, is about two cousins - played by Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin – who take a trip to Poland to visit their late grandmother's old house. This film, which I saw at the New York Film Festival, is a hilarious and tragic portrayal of grief, loss, and family, and it somehow managed to be both the funniest and saddest project in the world. Cinema program 2024 that I have seen so far.

Warning, minor spoilers follow. If you want to see this amazing film, you can see it in theaters on October 18th.

(Image credit: Sundance Institute)

A real pain is hilarious

Going into this movie, I knew it was going to be funny. You can't have a project starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin and their snappy, frenetic energy and it's not funny. But I didn't expect it to be this way. The very hilarious as it is the story of two Jewish men who go to Poland to learn about the Holocaust and their grandmother's past.

I knew we were in for a wild time when the film began: Eisenberg's David leaves Culkin's Benji a million messages on the way to the airport, only to be ambushed by his cousin – who was there early – who exclaims to get them some good weed for their trip. That moment got the audience going, and from then on we laughed along with the two leads at this rollercoaster ride of a film.

Most of the humor in this film revolves around Culkin and Eisenberg's typical comedic sensibilities. If you like Roman Roy's snarky humor from Consequencethen you get a new version of it here. If you want the awkward, understated humor that Eisenberg brought to films like Adventureland And Zombielandthat's what you get, and they work great together.

One of my favorite cases in A real pain This was shown brilliantly when the two were stuck on a train that they were not allowed to board without tickets. While David was stressed the whole time, Benji had a plan, and it led to them arguing and saying things like:

David: This is so damn stupid, the tickets are probably only about $12.

Benji: It's a matter of principle. In Poland you shouldn't have to pay for a train ticket. This is our country.

David: No, it's not. It was our country and they kicked us out because they thought we were mean.

It is a truly hilarious and snappy moment – one that you can actually Trailer — that also leads to the cousins becoming closer again on this journey. And it's funny moments like these that perfectly balance out the tragic and terribly sad moments in Eisenberg's project, which is about reconnecting with family.

Will Sharpe looks down, Kieran Culkin has tears in his eyes and Jesse Eisenberg stands with his hand on his shoulder.

(Image credit: Searchlight Pictures)

However, it is also deeply tragic as it addresses loss and grief

The reason for this trip to Poland was the death of David and Benji's grandmother. They both loved her very much, with Culkin's character being especially close to her. Although this film has many funny lines and situations, the overall plot is deeply sad as these two estranged cousins find themselves reunited after the loss of their loved one.

On this tour, the boys explore the sights in Poland, especially learning about the Jews who lived there during World War II. This is obviously a very difficult and potentially provocative topic, as the tour guide points out. But for the most part, everyone manages to absorb and appreciate everything they see.

However, feelings change when they go to a concentration camp. This was especially evident in Benji's reaction to it. For most of the film, Culkin's character keeps things light and makes everyone around him laugh. However, his actions are rooted in grief as he processes the loss of his grandmother and some of the choices he has made in his life, and things come to a head in the concentration camp.

Seeing him break down and cry in the place where his grandmother was was deeply tragic. When you contrast that with the silliness of the film, it makes for a huge emotional impact overall.

Kieran Culkin touches his face.

(Image credit: Searchlight Pictures)

Overall, “A Real Pain” feels like a bittersweet, poignant portrayal of grief.

Well, there is a reason Culkin won an Emmy for Consequenceand Eisenberg received an Oscar nomination for the leading role The social network pour: They are both extremely talented actors who can bring comedy and drama together with nuance and skill, mixing them to create a complex and human picture. Their talents combined with Eisenberg's thoughtful script and direction made A real pain a beautiful and emotional overall picture of what it is like to deal with a loss.

As someone who has lost a grandparent, I could feel exactly what they were feeling. Grief is not just sadness. It is a long emotional process, as shown by the stages, and while tragic, it can also bring silly and loving moments. We process pain in countless ways, by making jokes, crying, screaming, and more, and I really enjoyed this. A real pain gave us all this.

It was so sad to hear David grieve over his cousin, her loss, and the pain of knowing that his grief was “nothing special.” It's a wound that takes time to heal. However, that moment of loss also brought him back to his cousin and they were able to rebuild a bond and laugh together on this tour.

The same goes for Benji. He uses humor as a coping mechanism and a way to process what he's going through. But underneath, he's battling a darkness that clearly affects him and the people around him.

It all feels so raw and real because A real pain doesn't just focus on one emotion. Light and darkness balance each other perfectly, creating a nuanced and beautiful portrait of a family working to honor, mourn and heal their lost loved one. And it's through Jesse Eisenberg and Kiernan Culkin’s amazing performances that we can feel all this and more with them.

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“A Real Pain” by Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin is the funniest and saddest film I have seen this year.

A real pain is hilarious

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“A Real Pain” by Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin is the funniest and saddest film I have seen this year.

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