Ayala Malls Cinemas exclusively brings another award-winning film to Philippine cinemas with “A Real Pain,” the Jesse Eisenberg-directed comedy-drama that has been racking up multiple accolades this awards season, opening January 29.
Written and directed by Eisenberg, the movie stars Eisenberg, Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe, and Kieran Culkin, who won the Golden Globe Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in the film. Besides the Golden Globes, other accolades received by “A Real Pain” include nominations for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), Screen Actors Guild Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards and the recently announced Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Culkin and Best Original Screenplay for Eisenberg. “A Real Pain,” co-produced by Emma Stone’s Fruit Tree (“Poor Things,” “I Saw the TV Glow”), is part of Ayala Malls Cinemas’ lineup of critically acclaimed awards-season films, which this year also includes “Anora.”
Kieran Culkin as Benji and Jesse Eisenberg as David in “A Real Pain”
Photo credit: Ayala Malls Cinemas
It was during a trip to Poland with his now-wife that Eisenberg had what he calls a “strange revelation” that began his creative journey for “A Real Pain.” A two-week trip through the country landed him at the tiny house in the village of Kranystaw, where his aunt Doris had lived before the Holocaust displaced her entire family. “Had the war not happened, this is where I would be living,” Eisenberg remembers thinking. “What would my life be like? Who would I be?”
Twenty years later Eisenberg found himself back at that house, this time as the director, writer, and co-star of “A Real Pain.” In the film Eisenberg plays David, a New Yorker and young father who goes on a tour of Polish Holocaust history accompanied by his cousin Benji, played by Kieran Culkin, thanks to money left by their recently deceased grandmother. Joining a tour group led by the affable James, played by Will Sharpe, David and Benji rekindle their childhood bonds as they grapple with the family tragedies of the past that still, in some ways, define them.
(From left) Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey, Jesse Eisenberg, Kurt Egyiawan, David Oreskes, Liza Sadovy (partially hidden)and Will Sharpe in “A Real Pain”
Photo credit: Ayala Malls Cinemas
“A Real Pain” currently has a 96% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “‘A Real Pain’ is a real treat, a tender, funny treatise on family jealousies and our relationship to the past. Simultaneously light and heavy, it soars on the stellar pairing of Eisenberg and Culkin,” said Empire magazine in their review.
Rolling Stone lauded Culkin’s “Oscar-worthy” performance, saying, “Eisenberg has generously gifted his costar with the sort of raging-id role that most actors could only dream of, and Culkin rewards his director/castmate with the single greatest, funniest, most cringe-comic and heartbreaking performance of his career.”
With their exclusive offerings of award-winning films, Ayala Malls Cinemas has become a premier destination for quality experience at the movies.
Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in “A Real Pain”
Photo credit: Ayala Malls Cinemas
Featuring plush seating and generous legroom, coupled with cutting-edge laser projections for sharper images, and top-notch Dolby Sound and Dolby Atmos technologies to enhance audio depth, moviegoers are in for an exceptional cinematic experience. And every awards season, audiences are in for an even bigger treat as Ayala Malls Cinemas exclusively brings within reach of every movie enthusiast a lineup of world class, award-winning films, such as “A Real Pain” and “Anora.”
Speaking of treats, cinema patrons can enjoy a variety of delicious treats from The Movie Snackbar, such as different-flavored popcorn, hotdog sandwiches, yummy burgers and ice-cold beverages.
Don’t miss “A Real Pain,” which will be available in Philippine cinemas for the first time when it opens exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas on January 29. Book your tickets now by visiting www.sureseats.com or any of the participating cinemas. Visit the Ayala Malls Cinemas FB and IG pages for updates!