33/37
Narrative
Mismatched cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother
The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.. When Benji and David visit their grandmother's home in Poland, the location is where Jesse Eisenberg's real-life ancestors settled in diaspora.. Benji Kaplan: We stay moving, we stay light, we stay agile.David Kaplan: Yeah.Benji Kaplan: The conductor’s gonna come through, taking tickets, we tell him we’re going to the bathroom.David Kaplan: Bathroom.Benji Kaplan: He gets to the back of the train, he starts heading towards the front looking for stragglers.David Kaplan: Sorry, we’re the stragglers?Benji Kaplan: Yeah.
We shouldn’t have to pay for train tickets in Poland
By the time he gets to the front, the train’s gonna be in the station and we’re home free.David Kaplan: This is so fucking stupid. Tickets are probably like twelve bucks.Benji Kaplan: It’s the principle of the thing. This is our country.David Kaplan: No, it’s not, it was our country.
Featured in CBS News Sunday Morning: Episode #4644 (2024)
They kicked us out ’cause they thought we were cheap.. 12 Etudes, Op. 25, No.
3 in F majorWritten by Frederic ChopinPerformed by Tzvi Erez
Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.Previously, Jesse Eisenberg made "When You Finish Saving the World" which was interesting but unfortunately a bit annoying. Here, Eisenberg's direction and writing for this movie shows he has massively improved as many of the characters are interesting and engaging, good dialogue conversations, and great performances, especially from Kieran Culkin who steals the show in the entire movie.The narrative explores family history and complicated bondings as each of the themes and explorations on the subjects were handled well and it was funny, emotional, and compelling to observe. Including beautiful camerawork, good soundtrack, and conversations that felt real, genuine, and engaging to observe.Eisenberg's approach on the chemistry, structure and pacing was good as he has created a really good compelling and personal story about family history and the true meanings of bondings and relationships.
There were some soundtrack choices that felt a little out of place
But overall, Eisenberg improved himself and I look forward to see what else he could bring to the today.