Blog Details

49/48

David Kaplan: Bathroom

Story

A pair of odd cousins ​​come together to travel across Poland in honor of their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd couple’s old tensions resurface in their family history. When Benji and David visit their grandmother’s house in Poland, Jesse Eisenberg’s real-life ancestors have settled in the diaspora. Benji Kaplan: We keep moving, we stay light, we stay agile. David Kaplan: Yeah, Benji Kaplan: The driver walks past, we take out the tickets, we tell him we’re going to the bathroom. Benji Kaplan: He gets to the back of the train, he starts to head towards the front to look for any strays. David Kaplan: Excuse me, are we the ones who are behind?

This is our country

Benji Kaplan: Yeah, by the time I get to the front, the train will be at the station and we’ll be free. David Kaplan: That’s fucking stupid. The tickets probably cost about twelve dollars. Benji Kaplan: This is the beginning of the matter. We shouldn’t have to pay for train tickets in Poland. David Kaplan: No, this was our country. They fired us because they thought we were cheap.

Appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning: Episode 4644 (2024)

12 Studies, Op. 25, No. 3 in F Major Written by Frederic Chopin Performed by Tzvi Erez. A Real Pain As a Polish-American, A Real Pain interested me because of the premise. Two cousins ​​lost their grandmother and decided to visit Poland, where she was from and escaped the Holocaust. The film really hits home with its literal, figurative, metaphorical, and emotional definitions of A Real Pain. Kieran Culkin is absolutely phenomenal in this film, playing Benji, who is so lost in the world after his grandmother’s death that the pain explodes in a heartbreaking and understandable way.

This film was spectacular

I identified with the character a lot because Benji clearly shows signs of bipolar disorder, which manifests in such strong emotions that you feel them with him. He can simultaneously express stupidity, sadness, intense pain, human emotion, joy, and frustration. It’s dizzying, but so raw and real. Jesse Eisenberg, who plays his cousin David, does his usual character of troubled anxiety, which is already tiring. But in this film it works because David tends to play the role of a mirror, reflecting back to Benji what it’s like to not experience the pain. The characters complement each other well, with one feeling too much and the other feeling nothing. It’s filled with so much emotional nuance that I want to watch it again, just to see Benji’s body language and facial expressions again, as my heart weeps along with his.

Go see him

The plot itself is pretty basic, but the impact on the characters is what matters most. I haven’t even commented on the other characters in the film, but they’re just as important. Everyone interacts with Benji in a way that makes him more real and relatable. Phew! It’s a rollercoaster. From Alien: Romulus to Road House, check out our favorite 2024 posters.