A Real Pain, written and directed by Jessie Eisenberg, follows an odd couple-like comedy of two very different demanoured cousins taking a tour across Poland. As the story of the film moves along with a Jewish heritage tour., so does the relationship between the two cousins, who haven’t talked since their youth, doing something of this nature and spending time with each other as part of the wish of their recently passed grandmother for them to get to see Poland (where she was born and had escaped during the early 20th century). The story is about them linking and spending time together while annoying each other. They talk about differences in their philosophy in their approach to topics such as grief and their introspection on their own lives. The eventual bonding they receive on the trip as they see family history on the tour and become part of each other’s life again. Use this section to set up the article. Explain what it is about and entice the readers to keep reading. 

An Odd Couple Set of Cousins

The film centers upon the interactions between cousins David and Benji Kaplan, played by Jessie Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. They come together once again for a bonding trip. They used to be childhood best friends but grew apart as they entered adulthood. As they travel throughout Poland on the tour, the two cousins, interactions and dynamics with one another move the plot along in a lighthearted yet pensive manner. David is reserved and slightly socially awake, with a stable career and a wife and son at home. Benji is a very charismatic and manic cousin (he has a few emotional episodes during the film) who sees himself as a bit of a drifter in life, hopping from couch to couch. David constantly feels like he has to make amends and apologize on behalf of his cousin for his cousin’s strong personality and behavior towards the tourists and their tour guide. They appear to be in very different states in life. Yet their bonding, despite their disagreements in life and differences in personality, is heartwarming and feel-good as they tour Poland with others. 

Spending Time With Strangers on a Tour  

The film depends on the characters’ dialogue and interactions. Along their trip, the two cousins are accompanied by a woman named Marci, who is dealing with the aftermath of her husband leaving her. In addition, an older married couple, Mark and Diane (played by Daniel Oreskes and Liza Sadovy), and Eloge (played by Kurt Egyiwan) who converted to the Jewish faith after grappling with the evil of the world.