Two cousins (Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin) go to Poland on a group tour with other Jewish tourists, hoping to reconnect with their family’s history.

A personal story by Eisenberg that takes his character, the cousin and their newfound friends on an emotional trip to Warsaw and Majdanek. As expected, the two leads are perfect for their parts; especially Culkin finds a balance between Benji’s abrasive traits and his vulnerability that ultimately makes you want to give him a big, comforting hug.

Funny and moving; the film has attractive views of Poland, and also shows us the effect of the Holocaust in our times.

2024-U.S.-Poland. 90 min. Color. Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg (David Kaplan), Kieran Culkin (Benjamin ”Benji” Kaplan), Will Sharpe (James), Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Emma Stone and Eisenberg. Eric André was first offered the part of Benji.

Oscar: Best Supporting Actor (Culkin). BAFTA: Best Supporting Actor (Culkin), Original Screenplay. Golden Globe: Best Supporting Actor (Culkin).

Last word: “On set, I remember [Eisenberg] came up to me during the final shot and asked if I wanted to talk about the scene and I said ‘no, go away.’ […] This was my entire approach to this part. It’s my favourite way to go in as I’ve done my homework, but maybe you’re just nervous that I haven’t. Some people could take that as me being lazy, but the best way to get this character out was to not prepare too much and be spontaneous.” (Culkin, Esquire)