The premise of the film A Real Pain is simple – it is a buddy-drama following two cousin brothers who decide to visit Poland on a Holocaust trail after the death of their Jewish grandmother who was a survivor of the genocide. But in the midst of it, there are layers to the drama that slowly begin to peel off along the way. When you are acquainted to Benji, you see this effervescent version of himself, almost being in over-compensation mode as far as his energies are concerned. He is afraid of breaking a few rules to roll up a joint and smoke it on his hotel rooftop, much to the reluctance of his cousin brother David. David, on the other hand is a reflective variant of a person who is very close to his family, yet a brooding introvert when it comes to opening up with strangers. In one of the brilliant scenes, you see Benji persists David to join in for a photo-session at a war memorial, much to his dismay, even while all the fellow tourists join in with Benji, leaving David to do most of the photography. It is clear that Benji is the center of attention while David has always longed for the same. But as they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.

The proceedings are interesting even as the drama exports us on the Holocaust trail in Poland. The drama doesn’t revel in sorrow but instead focuses on moments of laughter and togetherness while using sadness only as an underlying residue of sorts. And within this space, Benji does come across a trouble-maker of sorts, often imposing his opinion on the group of wanting to feel the pain of the ghosts of the Holocaust, as opposed to just acting as tourists. Each of the fellow tourists have searing backstories to boast of, but the drama wishes to highlight their acclimatization of pain with respect to their past, by a form of escapism or just plain acting as tourists on a cultural heritage site. So when Benji singles out the group’s guide James (Will Sharpe) on his over-emphasis on stats as opposed to allowing the group to absorb the pain of the surroundings, you do take a moment to reflect on his thoughts on whether Benji is a trouble maker or a grieving individual.

The writing offers an intimate look at depression through the lens of Benji. As the time passes by and the more you are acquainted with Benji, you do realise that his over-compensated form of laughter and energy is directly related to his mental health, something that hasn’t deteriorated overnight but has had a systemic fall over a period of time. His first signs of the same are reflective in its own words of him being a loner in life (and remember he loves company) wherein he tells David that he reached the airport early because of the different people that he gets to meet within that space. We also do get to know that Benji and David were once so close that they would easily be classified as brothers. But then, life has happened forcing the two to part ways. You can clearly make out that the two despite being together like oil and water, do love each other a lot. David though has a family of his own, and his own corporate job that otherwise leaves him with very little to no time for Benji, despite wanting to spend time with him. Benji though, is silently grieving the passing of his BFF, his grandma, whose death ironically brings David and Benji together, even though momentarily so just as David gets to know about Benji’s failed suicide attempt.

There is a painful sense of sweetness that creeps out of the measured emotions, even as the drama steers clear of the melodrama. There are some painfully intimate moments between David and Benji that form a wonderful arc of the film along with contributing to its core. It is clear that the duo who were once as thick as thieves, haven’t shared heartfelt conversations with each other in years. Yet, the trip gives them that opportunity even as you see them sharing some heartfelt moments over a shared joint on a rooftop, or visiting their grandma’s last home before she fled to the States. Still, the drama is immensely grounded, never allowing a rush of emotions to engulf you. The sentimental moment is often steered to that of laughter even as the duo unsuccessfully try and make sense of a raging elderly person who questions their presence. In this little scene, the cultural impact of the two nations plays a silent character, while signalling a sense of detachment, acting as a reminder for the duo that they are on the final legs of their trip. So when Benji declines David’s invite for dinner, while being laughably slapped only for them to share a heartfelt goodbye of sorts, you know that they are nothing but tourists in each others’ lives and each others’ pains. They love each other but won’t necessary see each other often, just like most of our friends and family. The screenplay is masterfully penned and makes for an amazing watch.