Eisenberg, who stars in the film alongside Kieran Culkin and Jennifer Grey, described the film as a heartfelt exploration of family, memory, and rediscovery, set against the backdrop of Poland.
Real Pain follows two cousins, David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin), on a journey to Poland to honor their late grandmother.
During their travels through Warsaw and the eastern cities of Lublin and Krasnystaw, they confront long-held family secrets, gain a deeper understanding of each other, and attempt to repair their strained relationship.
Eisenberg, who has roots in Krasnystaw, explained that the film reflects his own experiences, saying that he always wanted to make a film in Poland.
"It’s very beautiful and very different from where I grew up in New York," he said, as quoted by Poland's PAP news agency.
The production, filmed almost entirely in Poland, involved local talent, including cinematographer Michał Dymek and production designer Mela Melak.
Eisenberg noted the deeply personal nature of the project, as many of the locations featured in the movie are significant to his own family history.
He said the house the characters visit is where his grandmother once lived, emphasizing that each scene was crafted to reflect Poland’s influence on the story, the PAP news agency reported.
Eisenberg’s style blends humor, drama, and introspection—a signature approach he’s developed over two decades of writing for the stage.
He said the film is similar in tone to his plays, adding that Real Pain has received more positive feedback than his past works.
Jesse Eisenberg. Photo: Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Ignacy Strączek, deputy director of the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival, praised the film’s positive portrayal of Poland, calling it "a love letter to the country."
He highlighted the festival’s focus this year on themes of return, identity and Polish-Jewish heritage.
Alongside Real Pain, the festival will showcase films such as Treasure by Julia von Heinz, starring Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry, which delves into the complexities of ancestral identity, and Among Neighbors by Yoav Potash, a documentary examining Polish-Jewish relations during the Holocaust era.
Potash’s film will make its world premiere at the festival, with the director in attendance.
Founded in 2003, the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival is Poland’s premier event celebrating Jewish-themed cinema.
It features both competitive and non-competitive screenings of short and full-length films, with entries vying for the POLIN-Grand Prix.
This year’s festival will run through November 10, followed by online screenings available from November 15 to 30.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP