A Real Pain

Grandma Dory, a Polish Holocaust survivor (from a thousand miracles), has passed away.  Two of her grandsons, to honor her passing, travel to Poland as part of a small Jewish based tour group with a side trip to the family home.  Cousins sometimes have the opportunity to be raised closely, forming a sibling-like relationship, as we come to understand is the case with David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin).  Families also grow apart as their life choices cause deep chasms in those once close bonds.  However, the differences between these two are so pronounced, you’ll wonder if they ever shared anything more than some dna.  To a musical background of gorgeous selections by Chopin, we are treated to a view of Poland that I, as a half-Czech, wouldn’t have had on my vacation destination bucket list, but I could be persuaded as long as it included going South.  The relationship between this odd couple and their interactions with the guide and group and experiences are the core to this gem of a film (it left off the phrase “in the tuchas”).  Rating:  Odpowiedzią jest miłość (Love is the answer) 3.5 stars