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90m
A Real Pain
Synopsis
Two mismatched Jewish cousins, David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Eisenberg and Culkin give devastating, funny performances as characters grappling with their grandmother’s history and the ways their own lives have diverged. While Benji’s irreverent charm only partially masks his deep melancholy, David’s frustration with and genuine love for his cousin become achingly clear.
A poignant, funny exploration of the unexpected permutations of intergenerational trauma, and a sensitively drawn reckoning of the legacy of World War II among the survivors of survivors; A Real Pain was honoured with the prestigious Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2024.
AWARDS
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS 2025 | Winner: Best male actor in a supporting role in a film, Best screenplay – film (Kieran Culkin)
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS 2024 | Winner: Best Supporting Actor
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2024 | Winner: Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic)
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD 2024 | Nominee: Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Performance
Rating
MA15+
Length
90m
Genre
New Release
Accessibility
Closed Captions • Audio Description • Hearing Impaired
Reviews
A knockout.
Understated, funny, and gradually heart-swelling, writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s Chopin-kissed sophomore feature is as graceful as movies come
It’s among the most brittle and beautiful works of Eisenberg’s career. Spectacular work.
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