4 Facts About An Oscar-Winning A Real Pain You Didn't Know
Despite the fact that the movie was almost entirely made by one person – Jesse Eisenberg was not only the director, but also the screenwriter and one of the lead actors – A Real Pain was able to really impress the critics.
Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain has become one of the most impressive films of the awards season. The drama about an immersion into the history of the Holocaust collected many prestigious awards, received two Oscar nominations and even won one of them.
The statuette went to Kieran Culkin for Best Supporting Actor. After the 97th Academy Awards, we collected four facts about the movie for you.
1. Kieran Culkin Didn't Prepare For His Role As Benji
According to the actor, it was very important to keep the reactions natural so as not to lose Benji's inherent spontaneity, which a large number of rehearsals could interfere with. So he decided not to prepare too much and to be spontaneous.
Kieran Culkin's approach to acting worked. He won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Oscar for his role as Benji.
2. The Movie Delves Into the History of the Holocaust in an Unusual Way
A Real Pain is unlike most Holocaust films. The movie immerses you in the story through the pain of our contemporaries.
According to the plot, in order to honor the memory of their ancestors and fulfill the will of their late grandmother, cousins David and Benji come to Poland on a heritage tour, where they see local sights, take an excursion to a concentration camp, try to understand themselves and figure out how to live on.
3. Jesse Eisenberg Directed and Starred in the Film
He also wrote the screenplay that earned A Real Pain another Oscar nomination. This is Eisenberg's second attempt to win an Academy Award.
The actor was first nominated for an Oscar in 2011 for The Social Network, but lost to Colin Firth, who played the stuttering King George VI in The King's Speech.
4. Jesse Eisenberg Used Family History to Write the Screenplay
The character of the grandmother of the main characters in A Real Pain is based on Jesse Eisenberg's aunt. She was born in Poland and, according to the actor, was an extraordinary person.
As Jesse himself said, she died at the age of 101, and although the movie is not based on real events, there are many personal, autobiographical elements that emerged while working on it.