Jesse Eisenberg returned to the 2024 Sundance Film Festival with his second directorial feature, the intimate and heartfelt A Real Pain. The actors first directorial feature, When You Finish Saving the World, had its fair share of stumbling blocks, but its biggest issue was that it felt disconnected and trite. A Real Pain, on the other hand, showcases Eisenbergs writing and directing skills in a better light. It has its lighthearted moments, but in its exploration of complicated familial relationships and generational trauma and the different ways it affects people, Eisenberg, who also stars opposite Kieran Culkin, crafts something more honest.
