A Real Pain (2024) | REVIEW

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A REAL PAIN — PHOTO: Searchlight Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Jesse Eisenberg — Screenplay by Jesse Eisenberg.

Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain follows Jewish American cousins David (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (played by Kieran Culkin) as they travel from New York City to Poland for the purpose of taking part in a Holocaust tour group, as well as to visit the childhood home of their late grandmother in an attempt to establish a deeper connection to their heritage. On the trip, their rapport is put to the test, as David, a family father, is much more introverted and reserved, while Benji, a drifter with very little going on in his life, is extremely outgoing and extroverted to the degree that David isn’t comfortable with.

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Passages (2023) | REVIEW

Franz Rogowski and Adèle Exarchopoulos in PASSAGES — PHOTO: SBS Distribution.

Directed by Ira Sachs — Screenplay by Mauricio Zacharias, Ira Sachs, and Arlette Langmann.

Ira Sachs’ Passages follows Tomas (played by Franz Rogowski), a German filmmaker who lives in Paris, at the end of the production of his latest film. At the subsequent wrap party, Tomas’ partner Martin (played by Ben Whishaw), an English printer, refuses to go out on the dance floor with him, but Agathe (played by Adèle Exarchopoulos), a young primary school teacher, would very much like to dance with Tomas. In the heat of the moment, Tomas and Agathe lock eyes, share a connection and go to Agathe’s home where they have sex. The next morning Tomas arrives back at his and Martin’s apartment, and, though his instinct is to initially be deceitful about what had happened, Tomas fairly quickly decides to come clean (and quite directly) to Martin about what had happened and how he feels about it. An inwardly upset Martin kisses Tomas, and they continue their relationship, which only seems more doomed when Tomas carries on with his dalliance with Agathe. As Tomas’ relationship with Agathe intensifies, whereas his relationship with Martin deteriorates, Tomas tries to control his love life in a way that doesn’t take the emotional well-being of others into account. 

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