PARK CITY, Utah (AP) 鈥� when he was writing his new film 鈥淎 Real Pain.鈥� But his sister Hallie Eisenberg knew from years of watching Roman Roy that .
The film, which premieres at on Saturday, follows two very mismatched cousins, one anxiety ridden and rule following and the other a more spontaneous spirit, on a trip to Poland. They鈥檙e reuniting to see where their late grandmother was from and also explore some Holocaust locations.
Eisenberg had wanted to play the spontaneous one, which was similar to a character he'd played on stage in 鈥淭he Spoils鈥� in England. But he was gently talked out of it. It was, he realized, a taxing role that might be too much to handle while also directing. And so, Culkin became aspirational.
They鈥檇 met previously through their who also produced 鈥淎 Real Pain,鈥� but he really didn鈥檛 know him well. And he鈥檇 quickly discover that casting Culkin and directing him, even getting him on set, was a different kind of challenge that he hadn鈥檛 expected.
Three weeks before shooting, when Eisenberg was 鈥渒nee-deep in securing locations,鈥� Culkin told him he was thinking of dropping out. He didn鈥檛 drop out, but he also arrived on set only a day before filming, telling Eisenberg simply that he understood the character and that he also works best without blocking.
鈥淚 had spent months blocking out the scenes with Polish actors,鈥� Eisenberg said. 鈥淗alfway through day one we had to change our plan. And it was completely to the advantage of the movie because Kieran is such a live wire. He鈥檚 such a spontaneous actor and he鈥檚 so brilliantly funny. To kind of hem him in with my pre-planned shot list would have killed the spontaneity and the energy of the movie.鈥�
It both 鈥渇lummoxed and elated鈥� his cinematographer who had never worked with an actor who didn鈥檛 adhere to marks. But, Eisenberg said, the scenes where they could ditch the dolly and just follow Culkin 鈥渟parkled.鈥�
鈥淚 love both characters so much,鈥� Eisenberg said. 鈥淚 suspect audiences will just assume I鈥檓 very much like the character I play. But both are people I know. At once I am kind of the nervous person in the room who wishes I can get out of my own head. And on the other hand, I am a performer.鈥�
鈥淎 Real Pain,鈥� which is seeking distribution at the festival, is both funny and profound 鈥� an odd couple trip and an exploration of ideas of modern pain in the face of historical family traumas.
Eisenberg has been wanting to set a movie in Poland for about 18 years. The first play he鈥檇 written was about a self-centered young American who goes to Poland to stay with his cousin, a survivor of the war, to take advantage of a free room in an exotic locale. It was based in part on an experience he鈥檇 actually had. On stage, Vanessa Redgrave played his cousin.
鈥淚 tried for years to adapt that into a movie, and it was never good,鈥� Eisenberg said.
It took on various iterations too, including one about cousins who are more contemporaries going to Mongolia for Tablet Magazine. But it wasn鈥檛 until he saw an advertisement that said 鈥淎uschwitz Tour (with lunch)鈥� that the story cracked open.
鈥淚 remember thinking, oh, that鈥檚 the story. It鈥檚 these kind of middle-class trips to the most horrific places on Earth where the interpersonal dynamics of the group could be explored against a backdrop of real historical trauma,鈥� he said 鈥淵ou can explore the dramatic irony of taking one of these trips, but staying in the Radisson Hotel. Seeing Auschwitz during the day and drinking wine at night with your group.鈥�
He enlisted the help of renowned Polish film producer Ewa Puszczynska, who was fresh off 鈥淭he Zone of Interest,鈥� which would be essential both in legitimizing this American production abroad and in managing logistics for a very complex shoot.
鈥淲e are in a different location every day and every location has challenges. We are in airports, on trains, in city centers, at monuments, at a concentration camp. The first feature film to be able to film at this concentration camp,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was just this incredibly ambitious production. And thank goodness we had the best producers in the country shepherding it.鈥�
Those in the tour group, led by a character played by 鈥淲hite Lotus鈥� star Will Sharpe, are mostly retired Jewish Americans (Jennifer Grey among them). But Eisenberg also wanted to broaden the story and included a character, Eloge, (Kurt Egyiawan) based on a friend of his who survived the Rwandan genocide and later converted to Judaism in Winnipeg. His hope is that 鈥淎 Real Pain鈥� speaks to a cross-cultural, universal experience 鈥� though he鈥檚 also worried that sounds too much like a commercial. What he really wants, though, is for audiences to find it funny.
鈥淚t plays lighter than the themes might imply,鈥� he said.
鈥淎 Real Pain鈥� is his second as a director, after the mother-son film which premiered at the festival a few years ago. It鈥檚 a busy Sundance for Eisenberg. In addition to trying to sell 鈥淎 Real Pain,鈥� Eisenberg is also starring in 鈥淪asquatch Sunset,鈥� about a family of Sasquatches. And on opening night , who said she hopes that he gets behind the camera more often.
鈥淗e been a real reluctant filmmaker. He鈥檚 always like, 鈥極h, I could never,鈥欌�� Stewart said. 鈥淚鈥檓 like, no, no, you are a born storyteller. And that鈥檚 the way that his acting comes across. Like some actors really service other people鈥檚 stories. And then some people are writers themselves, even within their acting. Jesse is just like a kind of virtuoso artist.鈥�
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
