Hotly tipped for this upcoming awards season is director and star Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain. Kieran Culkin also leads alongside Eisenberg in the feature which is coming to UK cinemas in January.
The film follows mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Also in the film are Will Sharpe (The White Lotus), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing), Kurt Egyiawan (Beasts of No Nation), Liza Sadovy (A Small Light), and Daniel Oreskes (The Thomas Crown Affair, Only Murders in the Building).
I caught the film at Sundance this year. It’s brilliant and deserved of all of the early awards talk. I called it a Sundance gem in my review.
Despite this being an absolute success for Eisenberg in his triple role of director, writer, and actor, cementing his status as a big new talent behind the camera, it is Culkin who shines bright in his first major appearance since wrapping on the final season as Roman Roy of Succession. In one key rooftop scene when the two are sparking up another joint, Eisenberg’s Dave says to Benji his envy of him being able to light up every room he walks in, and the actor has covetous talent. He literally lights up the screen in every scene and this is another star-making role that could draw early awards chatter.
This will screen at the upcoming BFI London Film Festival before getting a release through Searchlight Pictures on 10th January.
Here’s the new trailer.
