“Real Pain” review: A hilarious journey into pain with Oscar-winner Kieran Culkin

arrives in cinemas real painone of the dramas of the season. Film, script, direction and main roles Jesse Eisenbergreceived great acclaim from audiences in the United States and professional critics around the world. So much so that even Kieran Culkin (Continuity) just won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his irreverently tragic performance. The film plays on contradictions, offering a journey much deeper than it seems.

real pain is about two cousins ​​who lost their grandmother, a Jewish Holocaust survivor, just a few months ago. Once they were inseparable, but now time has separated them. One of them Davidneurotic, but leads a sedentary and family life. Another, Benjiextravagant and extroverted loose cannon. Together they travel to Poland to see where their grandmother lived before World War II and understand where their family comes from. An adventure that will force them to explore themselves and their most hidden traumas.

We listen but don’t judge

Jesse Eisenberg He made his debut as a screenwriter and film director in 2022 with When you’re done saving the worlddrama, which, despite the presence Julianne Moore And Finn Wolfhard He didn’t make much noise in the cast. Now try again, and this time the result will be much more successful. The actor-turned-director strives to portray the human psyche with all its contradictions and teach us about something as universal as pain.

real pain Essentially, this is a road movie in which the two main characters go on a tourist tour around Poland. There they learn the history of their city and their grandmother. But above all, they begin to peel back the layers of armor that we all wear to keep ourselves safe. Eisenberg manages to present two characters on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of personality. One is correct and methodical, the other is chaotic and sparkling. But the film doesn’t condemn them, even though they do it all the time.

In some scenes, one’s approach seems right and the other’s does not. But in the next scene the situation completely changes. real pain It is not intended to teach a lesson about how we should behave or how to deal with certain feelings. Its purpose is only to draw us a map that will make us think about guilt, loneliness, memory, love or understanding. Universal topics that are neither new nor particularly detailed in an agile scenario. But it is comforting to reach out to them from time to time, even if it may hurt. This is what the director wants (and gets).

Drama with a lot of comedy

Of course, despite the fact that history real pain This is pure drama, there is a lot of room for comedy. The opposite sides of the two cousins ​​open up an endless number of the most hilarious and unexpected situations. TO Eisenberg There’s all kinds of humor in his sentence. From the kindest and warmest to the most sour and playful. Life is not white, not black and not gray. It’s a color palette and the film tries to use them all.

real pain It is written and directed with great enthusiasm. This is a fast-paced, dynamic film that gives you time to think without falling into boredom and monotony. The mixture of melancholy, tragedy and humor makes it a free verse that can be understood with great ease. The director avoids the typical sadness of existentialist dramas and allows himself to indulge in it only in certain scenes of the story. But in no case does he allow the rhythm of what he wants to tell to suffer. Its length, just an hour and a half, is the best sign of a job well done in this regard.

Kieran Culkin has his sights set on an Oscar

Faced with the aforementioned superficiality and lack of originality (not in a negative sense), the best virtue real pain They are the two main characters. Eisenberg She is sensational in her role, once again showing off all her tics and mannerisms on screen. He plays it very believably and down to earth. This has a lot more merit when you consider that he also had to direct every scene rather than just stand in front of the camera.

But who really dominates the film is his co-star, Kieran Culkin. The actor is living through his most golden years. After his unforgettable role Roman Roy V Continuitynow creates a new crazy character very similar to this one, but from a different context. His Benji It’s full of layers. He is the true pain that the title of the film speaks of. The pain it causes others because of its brutal sincerity and transparency. But also, and above all, the inner pain passing through the audience real pain.

With as much grace as personality, Kalkin based on the film as its own Benji does in every scene. Be it jokes, attacks or inappropriate behavior, he is always the main character. all in real pain Everything revolves around him, but this burden does not weigh on the actor. It’s one of the roles of the year that has already earned him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and could very well lead to him winning his first Oscar.

real pain manages to take its place among the most notable films of the season precisely because of its simplicity. In Spain, this is the first major premiere of 2025, and will delight audiences with its very universal themes (despite the exploration of the Jewish experience) and good-natured and well-intentioned conclusions. There is nothing extraordinary in this, because he does not pretend to be, he is moving away from the delusions of grandeur into which he could fall. And its main characters, especially the magnificent Kieran Culkinthey make it even better.