Loving someone isn’t straightforward. You can love someone but still hate them! You can be jealous of them, perhaps infuriated by them. But those emotions are all based on you deeply caring.
A Real Pain focuses on once-close cousins who come together for a pilgrimage to their grandmother’s home in Poland. Eisenberg and Culkin are both excellent. Whilst Culkin gets the spotlight for his emotional portrayal, it was Eisenberg who impressed me more. Both made me feel as though I was taking a peak into their world. It almost felt rude to be there.
You can see that they love each other, but they’re also exasperated. The wait for them to have it out is palpable, and ultimately cathartic.
Ninety minutes of well-acted introspection.
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