37/13
The feuding cousins reunite for a tour of Poland in honor of their beloved grandmother, but their old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. When Benji and David visit their grandmother’s house in Poland, it’s where Jesse Eisenberg’s real-life ancestors settled in the diaspora. Benji Kaplan: Let’s keep moving, let’s keep light, let’s keep agile. David Kaplan: Yeah, Benji Kaplan: The conductor will come by, we’ll take the tickets, we’ll tell him we’re going to the bathroom. David Kaplan: The bathroom. Benji Kaplan: He gets to the back of the train, starts toward the front, looking for stragglers. David Kaplan: Excuse me, are we stragglers? Benji Kaplan: Yeah, when we get to the front, the train will be at the station and we’ll be free. David Kaplan: This is fucking stupid. The tickets are probably twelve dollars. Benji Kaplan: That’s the principle of the thing. We shouldn’t be paying for train tickets in Poland. This is our country. David Kaplan: No, it wasn’t, it was our country. They kicked us out because they thought we were stingy. Featured on CBS News Sunday Morning: Episode #46.44 (2024). 12 studies, op. 25, no. 3 in F Major Written by Frederic Chopin Performed by Tzvi Erez. Previously seen at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Jesse Eisenberg made “When You Finish Saving the World” which was interesting but unfortunately a bit boring. Here, Eisenberg’s direction and screenplay for this film shows that he has greatly improved as many of the characters are interesting and engaging, good dialogue and excellent performances, especially Kieran Culkin who steals the show throughout the film. The narrative explores family history and complicated relationships as each of the themes and theme explorations were well handled and were fun, emotional and compelling to watch. Including beautiful camerawork, a good soundtrack and conversations that felt real, authentic and interesting to watch. Eisenberg’s approach to chemistry, structure, and pacing was solid, creating a truly compelling and personal story about family history and the true meaning of bonds and relationships. There were some musical choices that felt a bit off. But overall, Eisenberg stepped up and I can’t wait to see what else he can bring to the present. From Alien: Romulus to Road House, check out some of our favorite posters from 2024.