A Real Pain

>*"I know my pain is unexceptionnal so I don't burden everyone with it."* Solid, well-written and layered dramedy. Perfect balance between funny and sad, Jesse Eisenberg really controls the tones with this one and knows when things should be funny or sad. It's quite the clash of personality types and the interactions are so layered and entertaining to watch. I didn't expect that level of depth mostly given through dialogue and mannerisms. Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg both did amazing, they have chemistry and both get moments where they get to shine. Love the idea of going on a tour, Poland looks beautiful and the holocaust stuff was emotional. A lot of emotional moments but Eisenberg's oversharing moment at the table was probably the high point for me. If I had to look for negatives some scenes feel like they should go on for a little longer (rooftop scene ended so abruptly) and it needed it's own score instead of a well-known symphony. Overall this is very impressive for a second attempt at directing a movie for Eisenberg, way better than the first one he did. Powerful ending and themes, really stuck with me afterwards.

A quiet modern buddy movie. Two cousins who are as different in character as can be go to Poland to learn about where their jewish family comes from. This is an actor driven movie that exposes the two character’s flaws and how each one wants to be more like the other. Good entertainment with excellent acting and also a good source for your own thoughts on the subject.