“A Real Pain” Opens the Boulder Jewish Film Festival

Two cousins with nothing in common other than affection for their recently departed grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, decide to honor her memory by making a pilgrimage to Poland in “A Real Pain,” which opens the 12th annual Boulder Jewish Film Festival on November 10 at the Dairy Arts Center.

In real life, countless Jewish families have made this same trip, sometimes awkwardly referred to as a Holocaust tour. Numerous films depict these journeys into the painful past, most recently “Treasure,” starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry, now available for purchase on Amazon Prime.

But never has there been such an edgy, contemporary take on this traumatic, therapeutic family commemoration as “A Real Pain,” written, directed and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, who also co-stars with white-hot actor Kieran Culkin – known for playing real pains.

When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, this powerfully funny film was met with universal acclaim. Reaction to the emotionally resonant dramedy was equally enthusiastic when it played at the Telluride Film Festival. Even before opening theatrically – it is set for release in November – it has generated Oscar buzz. The New York Times declares it “the kind of thematically resonant, culturally specific comedy that (Academy) voters often respond to.”

With a clever title that carries a double meaning, “A Real Pain” is produced by Emma Stone, and co-stars Jennifer Grey (“Dirty Dancing”) and Will Sharpe (“The White Lotus”).

Eisenberg, who at 40 can technically no longer be called thirtysomething, nevertheless projects the acerbic attitude of his generation – sharp-witted, neurotic, slightly befuddled. Here he is also earnest and straight-forward, the perfect foil for Culkin’s wild child.

Best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network” in 2010, Eisenberg starred in films such as “The Squid and the Whale” and two Woody Allen movies, played Marcel Marceau in “Resistance,” appeared in the Hulu miniseries “Fleischman Is in Trouble,” has worked on the stage as writer and actor, and directed “When You Finish Saving the World.” He is also a book author and writer whose humorous work has appeared in The New Yorker.

In casting his character’s cantankerous cousin, Eisenberg struck comic and dramatic gold when he persuaded Culkin to take his first role since his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning turn as Roman Roy in “Succession.” Also a wee bit past thirty-something status, Culkin is adept at playing magnetic, annoying, rebellious characters with an intensity bordering on mania.

The two actors could not be less alike – perfect for the film’s odd-couple concept. Sparks reportedly flew on set in Poland, where the two stars came to welcome the tension that gives the film its sting.

The result is a caustic, authentic take on love-hate family relations, and the heartfelt desire to come to grips with an unfathomable shared history.

Variety describes the film as “a delight and a revelation – a deft, funny, heady, beautifully staged ramble of a road movie.”

Tickets to “A Real Pain,” which plays at 3 and 6:30 in the Boedecker Theater on Sunday, November 10, are apt to sell quickly when they go on sale October 22 at thedairy.org.

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For more information on the film festival, click here.