How Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin Made a Different Kind of Holocaust Movie

As a film enthusiast and someone who appreciates the depth and sensitivity with which historical events are portrayed on screen, I found myself deeply moved by Jesse Eisenberg‘s approach to his latest project, “Majdanek”. His unique take on contemporary Poland, focusing on themes of remembrance, legacy, and trauma, is indeed a refreshing departure from the usual period war films.

Jesse Eisenberg has “very strong opinions on Holocaust cinema.” 

In our conversation during a video interview, I share my unique sensitivity towards how the Holocaust is portrayed in films. It’s quite simple, really—the use of a Holocaust setting is often employed to elicit sympathy. From a creative standpoint, however, it feels deeply exploitative when these productions overdo it.

Eisenberg acknowledges that he’s involved in this project having just recently contributed to it – an unusual contribution, given his role as both actor and director. His latest film after his 2022 debut “When You Finish Saving the World“, titled “A Real Pain“, co-stars Kieran Culkin from “Succession”. This movie follows the story of two American cousins who journey to Poland to pay tribute to their late grandmother. As part of their trip, they visit the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp. In a characteristic humble manner, Eisenberg doesn’t claim to have found a solution for making Holocaust films. Instead, he accepts the challenge of portraying Majdanek in the way that he knows best.

I found it daunting to create a film on such a sensitive subject, so I strove for a depiction that felt authentic and genuine. This tale centers around two characters grappling with complex feelings towards history and their ancestors’ pain, contrasted with their own suffering. The narrative unfolds in a stark, minimalistic manner, focusing on their experiences at Majdanek.

Underneath its simple narrative structure, “A Real Pain” combines the emotional intimacy of a buddy comedy with a profound examination of historical pain. It’s more than just a small-scale American independent film; it’s a subtly ambitious project. The production process was challenging, as it involved traveling to Poland and persuading the caretakers of Majdanek to allow filming for a powerful scene where Eisenberg and Culkin’s characters, David and Benji Kaplan, silently bear witness.

The screenplay had a deeply personal origin for Eisenberg. As a teenager, his great aunt from Poland, whom he regarded as a mentor, was his inspiration. He pledged that if he ever worked in Europe, he would visit the house where she grew up. During filming in Bosnia, he kept his promise but discovered the encounter to be puzzling rather than healing. “I’m standing outside this house,” he admitted, “trying to feel something, and not.

In the final act of “A Real Pain”, David and Benji found themselves in a puzzling situation, much like Eisenberg had been at the same house where it was filmed.

Despite Eisenberg’s great aunt and other ancestors arriving in America as early as 1918, long before World War II, some family members remained behind. Tragically, they were all victims of the Holocaust except for one woman named Maria. Since he was a troubled child who cried daily in first grade, Eisenberg has been deeply concerned with understanding and resolving the contrast between contemporary suffering and historical hardship.

He shares, “As a child, I was deeply melancholic. To cope, I delved into our family’s past, and it struck a chord with me because it seemed as though they too experienced hardships, much like myself. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of affinity, even though I hadn’t heard about it before.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, he started to explore and address his questions about high-level subjects by writing a screenplay. Being in the U.S., he downloaded several Polish travel itineraries and used Google Street View to virtually tour these places as he mapped out David and Benji’s journeys – accompanied by a group with characters portrayed by Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Daniel Oreskes, Liza Sadovy, and Will Sharpe as the guide. When it came to filming, Eisenberg and his team understood they required a Polish crew. Producer Ali Herting contacted Ewa Puszczyńska, who was working with A24 on the Academy Award-winning “The Zone of Interest.

Herting mentioned that it was unique because it had the feel of an iconic American buddy film, yet it was set in current-day Poland and dealt with themes such as remembrance, legacy, and trauma. However, it approached these topics in a modern way, which was a refreshing change from the usual period war films.

At first, Polish manufacturers thought Eisenberg might be interested in constructing a replica of the concentration camp, with an estimated cost of $1 million. However, they found this price too high and Eisenberg was uncomfortable with the idea of recreating such a place. “Is there someone capable of building Majdanek?” he questioned, expressing doubts about meeting the person responsible for such reconstruction.

Nevertheless, as Eisenberg elaborates, negotiating the museum’s consent for filming took approximately eight months. It was the unique, contemporary perspective that Eisenberg presented that ultimately won over the institution.

The filmmakers are often asked to create movies set during the Holocaust in 1942, featuring large numbers of extras dressed as Nazis and portraying scenes with weapons within the camp. However, they firmly respond, “This is a hallowed ground that requires respect and care.” Their proposal was, “I aim to depict your current work. I wish to join you in what you’re doing. My family resided nearby, and although they weren’t in Majdanek, this is a piece of my history. I have the deepest respect and gratitude for what you do, and I simply want to convey that as honestly and straightforwardly as possible.

By the day of the shoot, Eisenberg had previously visited Majdanek multiple times, scouting and making a list of every moment he intended to film. However, for his actors, this experience was entirely fresh. Similarly, Culkin, much like his character, was encountering many aspects of the camp for the first time as the camera captured the scenes.

Frequently, I wouldn’t enter the room until they had already started filming,” Culkin explains. “I’d take one or two takes to immerse myself in the scene, both as my character and just generally, but then he would shoot it and that was it. It didn’t feel like work. It would have been strange if we left the room and found someone casually playing Wordle or something similar in a director’s chair.

According to Herting, it was a challenging day, and she suggested that everyone should take the time they required for themselves.

She comments, “The most challenging aspect was the uncertainty of that day itself.” She explains, “You can’t tell how it would affect others, and unexpected events occurred. It felt momentous and meaningful that we were present and had the opportunity to participate in it.

Instead of approaching Majdanek’s filming in a direct manner as Eisenberg intended, partly to reflect the emotions of his characters, he ended up capturing a substantial amount of footage, including B-roll without actors. However, when it came time to edit, this additional footage seemed unnecessary.

He explains, “In the end, what mattered most was having the actors involved. It seemed juvenile to include all those fantastic scenes in the film simply because we managed to capture them.

Eisenberg admits that he’s investigating everything at a distance, three generations removed from the incident. His father frequently expresses his desire to go to Poland. “In a twist of fate,” he remarks, “I seem to be bridging the gap for my older generation.

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2024-11-01 15:11