A Real Pain - review

 A REAL PAIN

Watched on: 18/1/25

Rating: 5/5

Living in the Uk, this film was released at a later date to when it was brought out in America. I had been anticipating its arrival to my closest cinema for months and when I finally got to see it I was far from disappointed. In anticipation for this film I had done my research, I watched countless interviews, read reviews and stalked many social media feeds for updates and overall content on the film. I was worried in doing this I might have too high expectations, but I did not. Jesse Eisenberg's work in creating this wonderfully emotive film is so raw and real, I was left speechless. By approaching such a serious event in time with such compassion and a feeling of weightlessness I was left wanting to research more into the Jewish culture.

The casting choices were excellently curated by Jesse himself. His relationship with Kieran Culkin in real life is quite clearly reflective of the relationship between David and Benji in the film. The performances within this film made me forget that this story they were telling was a film and they were not real cousins. Due to both Jesse and Kierans heritages I was pleased when I read the impact that this film had on both of them and how much they were moved. Upon research, I discovered that the other people on the tour with them were in fact based off of real stories and experiences. Knowing this before going into the film made hearing their personal stories all the more meaningful.

The cinematic aspects throughout the film have a naturalistic feel, likely to highlight that this film is not trying to glamourise the Jewish experience in any way but to simply reflect a raw experience of taking the audience along and both educating and sharing the real suffering during the holocaust. The lacking of any kind of explicit filters over the majority of this film really represents how this is aiming to showcase the harsh reality of the past brutality in Poland. The only apparent filter was a warmish hue to symbolise the relationship between David and Benji. The snapshots of the settings, intertwined with personal anecdotes, factual information and light humour, really made me feel immersed into the film, feelings of melancholy and reflection, but also a lightness, making me leave the cinema with a drive to learn more about this film, but at the same time I also felt kind of empty. Like I had gone through this entire tour with them, feeling all the same emotions. I feel this was apparent in the choice of music throughout the film, Jesse chose light classical music to give background with soft piano to not detract from the key visuals he was presenting to the audience. The choice of music was played at deliberate points within the film and other parts were left silent. This really added to that feeling of despondence and emptiness particularly towards the end of the film after the tour is over.

This film to me was absolutely poignant and moving in so many ways the characterisation was something deeply unforgettable. The more explicit mentions to David's struggles with OCD and his clear nervous energy made me resonate with him deeply, allowing the audience to also empathise with his struggles and almost become attached to his character and his pain. Whereas we are presented with a complete juxtaposition characteristically of Benji who appears full of energy and positivity throughout the majority of the film. However, as the film develops we uncover more character traits and learn that maybe this overly positive energy is a mask for feelings of isolation. This is made apparent when David shares how he overdosed 6 months before the trip. This was a shocking revelation to me and brought me to consider the true messages of this film:

How no pain is more important than another, as in some way we are all suffering and it doesn't matter the extent more reasoning of this feeling, pain is pain. No matter if these struggles are physical or mental, explicit or hidden, anyone and everyone can be, or is fighting silent battles. And all pain is real.

 "Isn't everyone in pain in some way?"