On the Nose

Jesse Eisenberg's Holocaust Road Trip

Dec 5, 2024

This conversation features Maia Ipp, a contributing editor at Jewish Currents focusing on memory and heritage, and Menachem Kaiser, author of Plunder, delving into the complexities of inherited trauma. They explore the film 'A Real Pain,' discussing its portrayal of generational struggles with Holocaust memory. Key themes include the emotional weight of visiting memorials, the commercialization of Holocaust narratives, and how humor intersects with Jewish identity. The dialogue invites deeper engagement with history while celebrating cultural richness in Poland.

39:27

Creator website

Episode guests

Menachem Kaiser

Maia Ipp

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The film 'A Real Pain' blends personal narrative with broader Holocaust memory, reflecting millennial anxieties without directly tying them to survivor experiences.

Critics highlight the film's missed opportunities in exploring deeper Holocaust themes, particularly through its minimal engagement with Polish perspectives on Jewish history.

Deep dives

Exploring Holocaust Heritage Tourism

The film 'A Real Pain' follows two cousins as they embark on a heritage tour of Poland, driven by their grandmother's legacy. This journey provides a lens into Jewish heritage tourism, blending the personal stories of the characters with the broader context of Holocaust memory. While on their trip, they travel with a diverse group, including a Rwandan man who survived genocide, which adds complexity to their collective experience. The interactions during the tour highlight the challenges of connecting with cultural history amidst contemporary realities.

Intro

2min

Exploring Generational Trauma in Film

22min

Reflections on Holocaust Memorial Visits

5min

Commercialization of Holocaust Narratives

6min

Exploring Jewish Identity Through Comedy and Academia

3min

Exploring Poland: A Journey Beyond History

2min

A Real Pain is a film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Kulkin as two American Jewish cousins who take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother. In this episode of On the Nose, editor-in-chief Arielle Angel, contributing editor Maia Ipp, and author Menachem Kaiser—all of whom are grandchildren of Holocaust survivors—dissect the movie’s depiction of millennial neuroses, its relationship to other Holocaust films, and its grappling with the question of how to make meaning out of inherited memory.

Thanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Texts Mentioned and Further Resources:

“Selling the Holocaust,” Arielle Angel, Menachem Kaiser, and Maia Ipp, Jewish Currents

“(Re)Writing Remembrance,” Arielle Angel and Maia Ipp, Jewish Currents

Plunder: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure, Menachem Kaiser

“If I were a Zionist, I'd be Z: How Generations of Jews have Abandoned their Children to Face the Reckoning Alone,” Natasha Gill, Substack

Between the Temples