A Kind of Pain That Keeps You Alive
| Title: | A Real Pain |
| Watchable: |  |
| Director: | Jesse Eisenberg |
| Writer: | Jesse Eisenberg |
| Lead Performances: | Kieran Culkin (Benji), Jesse Eisenberg (David), Will Sharpe (James) |
Benji stands at JFK Airport while waiting for David by bouncing his feet in an energetic manner which reveals their entire relationship through Culkin's body language. His physical movements show his personality through his easy body position and wide stance and his sudden explosive outbursts. Eisenberg enters the scene with a rigid posture that resembles a tightly wound timepiece while he checks his phone and watches the clock and monitors everything except what stands directly in front of him. David will later ask him to observe how people react to him when he enters a room but Benji remains unaware of this phenomenon. The intense emotions block his ability to notice anything around him. His intense feelings prevent him from perceiving anything around him.
The movie shows Holocaust tourism as both necessary and impossible which took me by surprise. The two cousins explore Polish heritage sites while staying in hotels and eating breakfast at the airport. The hotel experience stands in opposition to their concentration camp tour which creates an authentic atmosphere that stays clear of sentimental moments. The description I provided does not match the actual experience. The only method we have to deal with historical trauma seems to be through these awkward combinations of insufficient actions.
Benji loses control when their British tour guide James presents historical facts because he cannot tolerate the way James presents this information. The Majdanek concentration camp scene destroys viewers because Eisenberg shows actual historical events instead of using emotional manipulation. The gas chambers at Majdanek concentration camp show their blue Zyklon B residue marks on the walls while people walk by without any musical accompaniment. The atmosphere of this location produces a distinctive form of quietness. The atmosphere remains frozen in shock instead of showing any sign of respect.
Benji states that money serves as heroin for people who experience life as uninteresting yet David shows confusion about this statement while both men agree it contains some validity. The entire movie operates through this particular method of reasoning. The film proves its authenticity through authentic emotional expressions instead of delivering actual facts. Through his portrayal of Benji Eisenberg shows a character who experiences all emotions simultaneously which leads to his death. The story reveals that Benji attempted suicide six months before their trip.
During his dinner speech David reveals his emotions to Eisenberg through his words. Benji means everything to me but I despise him and I wish to become him according to David. The statement creates deep sadness because it exactly describes the feeling of being with someone who endures more severe pain than you do. Every person has encountered someone who appears to suffer more intensely than they do. People who take their daily medication before exercising wonder if their approach to life is incorrect.
The 90-minute duration of the film creates a perfect yet insufficient experience for viewers. The two cousins find themselves at this particular time when their bond has reached its breaking point yet they require each other the most. The Polish house of their grandmother exists as an unattainable location which holds greater power through memories than it does in actual reality. The film establishes this message as its main theme. Our origins consist of authentic historical events which blend with deliberately created false accounts.
Eisenberg uses his direction to place David outside the boundaries of his personal life through his camera work. His family presence does not stop him from observing his own fake happiness performance. Benji lacks the ability to perform like others do because he exists as an unmanageable version of himself.
The story brings the characters back to the airport but everything around them has undergone a subtle transformation. The story reaches a point of understanding through a non-traditional approach to storytelling. The space between them stayed the same but they gained new insights about its actual size.
