A Real Pain follows mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) as they reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

Winner Best Supporting Actor (Kieran Culkin) and Best Original Screenplay at the BAFTAs 2025.

Nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Kieran Culkin) at the 2025 Academy Awards.

The Garden Cinema View:

For better or for worse, Jesse Eisenberg resurrects a kind of Noughties indie sensibility for a very personal work that is both funnier than its heavy premise, and strives for meaning beyond the broadly drawn comic characters. The loose tone and breezy pace make A Real Pain a very watchable film. Whether the themes of historical atrocity and personal suffering can ever truly gel is another question.

Cast:
Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey