A Real Pain is a buddy road comedy-drama film written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. Principal photography took place primarily in Poland from May to June American Jewish cousins David and Benji Kaplan embark on a heritage tour from New York City to Poland to visit the childhood home of their late grandmother and connect with their family's heritage. David, who works in online advertising , is a reserved and pragmatic father and husband. He contrasts sharply with Benji, a free-spirited and outspoken drifter.
Their personalities constantly clash as Benji criticizes David for losing his former passion and spontaneity, while David struggles with Benji's unfiltered outbursts and lack of direction in life. The Kaplans arrive at Warsaw 's Chopin Airport and take the cab to their hotel. Benji collects a package of cannabis from the front desk that he mailed to himself in order to avoid security checks at the airport.
Once settled, they meet with their tour group members: Mark and Diane, a retired married couple from Shaker Heights, Ohio ; Marcia, a recent divorcee from California ; and Eloge, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who converted to Judaism. It is led by James, a mild-mannered, knowledgeable, but gentile tour guide from the United Kingdom. Benji engages the whole group in assisting him in a reenactment of the Warsaw Uprising around the latter sculpture.
David is embarrassed and stands apart. On the second day, the group travels to Lublin by train. Benji is unsettled by the incongruity of the group traveling first class on a Holocaust tour , which results in the cousins missing their stop. They ultimately found their way back to the group, who waited for them at the assigned station. James leads the group through the city's sights, such as the Grodzka Gate and the Old Jewish Cemetery , where Benji criticizes the tour leader's lack of emotional authenticity and challenges his focus on facts and statistics.
To David's embarrassment, Benji's outburst connects him with the other group members, who are moved by his energetic honesty. To reunite the group, James suggested they all leave a visitation stone on the grave of Talmudist Jakub Kopelman [ pl ] d. Benji continues to behave inappropriately and make uncomfortable comments during a group dinner later that evening. He eventually prompts the group to delicately challenge him, causing him to leave the table while burping aggressively.
