Jesse Eisenberg’s ‘A Real Pain’ Trailer Showcases Kieran Culkin’s Classic Sarcastic Humor

Jesse Eisenberg continues his evolution from actor to filmmaker with his second project, A Real Pain. The Eisenberg-directed and written film premiered at Sundance, and now the first official trailer for the dramedy, which he also stars in alongside Kieran Culkin, has arrived.

In the film, Eisenberg and Culkin play cousins (David and Benji) who take a trip to Poland in honor of their grandmother. The cousins navigate reuniting with each other as well as grappling with their family’s seemingly complicated history and dynamics. According to Deadline, the film is being considered as an awards contender.

The trailer shows the two actors in their classic forms: Eisenberg demonstrating an awkward energy on behalf of his character while Culkin shows off his classic sarcastic humor that fans have grown to love from his time on HBO’s Succession.

Back in January, Culkin told Rolling Stone that Eisenberg didn’t watch Succession but cast him in the film at his sister’s suggestion. “I was like, that’s a huge leap of trust!” he said.

Culkin also said he was drawn to his character in A Real Pain similarly to how he was compelled by the role of Roman Roy in Succession. “I’ve never been able to figure out why I’m drawn to something. I could tell you very specifically why I don’t want to do something, but this I just read and felt like I understood it right away,” he said. “I also don’t like to analyze it. I had that with Succession and with this movie.”

A Real Pain will premiere in theaters on Oct. 18.