Jesse Eisenberg says making "A Real Pain" meant confronting some uncomfortable memories - specifically, the experience of directing Kieran Culkin through a role that required the actor to be exhaustingly, brilliantly unmanageable.
Eisenberg wrote, directed and stars in the 2024 comedy-drama, released November 1, 2024, as David Kaplan, a tightly wound man who travels to Poland with his free-spirited cousin Benji (Culkin) to honor their late grandmother. The 90-minute film follows the mismatched pair as a guided tour through their family's history stirs up old friction between them.
Reflecting on the production, Eisenberg described the challenge of helming a performance built on volatility - and suggested that revisiting those memories has informed what he wants to do next. According to Eisenberg, his follow-up project will be a television show rather than another feature.
The film's premise hinges on the contrast between the cousins: David's careful, anxious energy against Benji's looser, more unpredictable presence. That dynamic drives much of the movie's comedy and its emotional payoff, and Eisenberg has spoken about how much of the role's effectiveness depended on Culkin's willingness to push scenes into uncomfortable territory. For the director, reliving those days meant revisiting the push-and-pull of guiding an actor whose instincts resist tidiness - a process Eisenberg characterized as both difficult and essential to the finished film.
The supporting cast includes Will Sharpe as James, Jennifer Grey as Marcia, Kurt Egyiawan as Eloge, Liza Sadovy as Diane, Daniel Oreskes as Mark and Ellora Torchia as Priya. The film holds a 6.791/10 rating on TMDb.
A Director's Return to Familiar Ground
"A Real Pain" marks one of Eisenberg's most personal projects to date, with the actor-writer-director working in front of and behind the camera simultaneously. The Poland-set story uses a Holocaust-heritage tour as its structural spine, letting the cousins' bickering and reconciliation unfold against sites of historical weight. Eisenberg has consistently framed the film as a study of family obligation and inherited grief filtered through a comic lens.
The movie's category placement spans both comedy and drama, a duality that mirrors its tonal balancing act. Much of the critical conversation around the release centered on Culkin's performance as the mercurial Benji, a character whose charm and instability sit side by side. Eisenberg's account of the shoot suggests that tension wasn't only on screen.
From Feature Films to Television
Eisenberg's stated plan to move into television represents a shift for a filmmaker whose recent work has been rooted in independent cinema. He did not offer specifics about the project's subject, network or timeline, describing it only as his next endeavor. If it proceeds, the series would follow "A Real Pain" as his latest writing and directing credit.
Television has increasingly drawn established film actors and directors seeking longer-form storytelling, and Eisenberg's move fits that pattern. For audiences who followed his work on "A Real Pain," the announcement signals that his next chapter will unfold in episodes rather than a single sitting.
At a Glance
- Title: A Real Pain
- Director: Jesse Eisenberg
- Cast: Jesse Eisenberg (David Kaplan), Kieran Culkin (Benji Kaplan), Will Sharpe (James), Jennifer Grey (Marcia), Kurt Egyiawan (Eloge), Liza Sadovy (Diane), Daniel Oreskes (Mark), Ellora Torchia (Priya)
- Genres: Comedy, Drama
- Runtime: 90 minutes
- Release: November 1, 2024
- Original language: English
- TMDb rating: 6.791/10
Eisenberg's reflections arrive as "A Real Pain" continues to circulate among viewers drawn to its intimate portrait of two relatives navigating grief and each other. Whether his next project lands in television, the director's willingness to speak candidly about the difficulties of the shoot has added a layer of context to a film already defined by its raw, uneasy family dynamics.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
