OPINION: The charisma check

Benji Kaplan, a carefree charmer played by Kieran Culkin in “A Real Pain,” strolls up to a woman, Marcia, walking alone in his tour group, and says “Why are you walking alone? Are you a ****ing loser?” Benji’s cousin, David (played by Jesse Eisenberg), who is walking a little bit behind the two, is mortified. But, the remark eases the tension and a conversation sparks between Benji and Marcia.

To any introvert, this moment is strikingly familiar. The apparent ease in which people like Benji live through life, while us wallflowers would rather observe out of fear, detachment or awkwardness, almost always sparks a faint hint of jealousy.

It’s this intangible piece in Culkin’s performance which elevates “A Real Pain” to significant highs. Through a continued exploration of why Benji might be the way he is, and what it means to a familial and almost brotherly relationship with David, turns the movie into one of the best of the year.

Following the two Jewish cousins’ tour through Poland, the homeland of their recently-passed grandmother Dory, David and Benji’s personalities clash in an amazing on-screen dynamic which feels true to life.

In one scene, the tour arrives at a sculpture depicting soldiers heading into battle in World War II. Benji jumps in to strike poses and pretends to be one of the soldiers. David doesn’t join in, feeling the burden of historical weight and respect. But, the rest of the group does, and they goof off with Benji while David becomes isolated as a cameraman, juggling a handful of phone cameras in his arms.

In another, the two sneak onto a train they don’t have tickets for and pull a mini-heist of transportation. The scene holds the best joke of the year. Benji remarks how the two shouldn’t have to pay for tickets in their Jewish homeland. David fires back by saying, “No, it was our homeland, they kicked us out because they thought we were cheap.”

As the two get closer to their visit to a concentration camp, one similar to the one their grandmother had survived in during the Holocaust, the pain and generational grief hangs over their tour. It’s an interesting idea and anxiety the film presents: how do we manage our own personal pain while understanding the far greater pain of ancestors who had to survive, as David succinctly puts it, “a thousand miracles?”

Before this trip, David and Benji’s relationship is mostly strained, with one incident in the past involving Benji having a lingering effect on how David views him. Eisenberg’s performance as David portrays him perfectly internally conflicted, with a few moments where his seemingly-sturdy emotional walls are torn down in dramatic outbursts, precisely tuned as gut punches.

“A Real Pain” also doesn’t overstay its welcome, far from it with an all-too-brief runtime of 90 minutes. When the movie ends feeling unresolved and unspoken, it’s true to the feeling of life. The two undoubtedly change and become closer, but worries will remain.

The movie begins and ends with a similar scene: Benji sits alone in JFK airport, and is the only time where he’s awake and appears completely silent. In the beginning, it’s a simple character introduction which is rather casual. By the end, after witnessing his peaks as a lively, no-filter social god, he returns to silence.

With the focus of “A Real Pain” on witnessing Benji rather than becoming him, these few moments where he’s truly alone strike profoundly. It’s a testament to how important those social connections are for Benji, and specifically how comfortable he is around David, despite the distance.

It’s easy to lose a sense of sympathy when watching those more comfortable clear charisma check after charisma check. “A Real Pain” doesn’t focus on that, instead producing a collage of every emotion about what it means to witness and have that special relationship. It’s one part, sure, hints of nonverbal jealousy eventually build to a wonderful dinner scene, but it’s one part of a journey which is fun, depressing, scandalous, shocking, mortifying and full of love.

It’s hard to find movies these days which really let you indulge in such an emotional odyssey. We think of massive action blockbusters as what typically draws audiences into theaters (the rather unpleasant “Red One” comes to mind). But, when a movie like “A Real Pain” digs into a deep emotional quarry, in such a short amount of time as well, there’s no better joy in going to the theater.