A Real Pain — A Heartfelt Oscar Contender, Now Showing In Malaysia
The acclaimed comedy-drama has earned two Oscar nominations and received four Golden Globes nods.
By Ian Wee — 21 Feb 2025, 11:52 AM
GSC International Screens has teamed up with Searchlight Pictures to bring A Real Pain to Malaysia's big screens
Alongside A Complete Unknown, both films are part of GSC's vision to diversify its film offerings and present independent titles to a wider audience.
Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg — best known for playing Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network — the film stars Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin (Succession). This marks Eisenberg's second directorial effort after When You Finish Saving the World (2022).
The film is a comedy-drama about family and coming to terms with genocide, balancing heavy themes with sharp humour and honesty
Eisenberg and Culkin star as David and Benji, estranged cousins who embark on a Holocaust remembrance tour in Poland after their grandmother — a Holocaust survivor — passes away.
The two constantly bicker, with David's reserved caution frequently clashing against Benji's energetic charisma and lack of social graces.
The film delves into both their personal grief and their experience as modern Jewish-Americans visiting historically significant sites and memorials. It unfolds as a complex character drama that balances its heavy themes with comedy and the dynamic chemistry between its two leads.
Alongside Holocaust remembrance, the film equally explores the strength of family bonds.
Image via KvellerCulkin's portrayal of the free-spirited and funny yet emotionally broken Benji is a standout, delivering a performance worthy of an Oscar
With a storyline that is deeply entrenched in the thoughts and perspectives of two characters, A Real Pain succeeds in delivering a poignant exploration of what it means to reconcile with the past.
As a film about transgenerational trauma, A Real Pain carries themes that resonate beyond its immediate narrative, applying to contexts often overlooked by traditional Hollywood productions. Watching it, I couldn't help but think of the wider implications, especially in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
As a film about how we move on from pain, it inevitably raises difficult questions about Hollywood's reluctance to spotlight other marginalised groups
We must consider — will Palestinians face similar experiences when attempting to visit their ancestral homes, now under Israeli occupation?
This thought stayed with me as the film explored the cousins' strong emotional responses to visiting their ancestral homeland and reconciling with the atrocities inflicted on their community decades ago.
For this reason, I wish Hollywood would make more of an effort to highlight the unseen perspectives of communities facing immense trauma today, but that isn't the fault of the film itself, which remains highly recommended.
