Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and co-stars in A Real Pain. In the film two mismatched cousins embark on a Holocaust tour through Poland to understand the history of their late grandmother who is a Holocaust survivor. It's a beautiful, honest, poetic and hilarious film that is listed as one of the ten best movies of 2024 by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the National Board of Review. As Owen Gleiberman wrote in Variety "Eisenberg has scripted with an ear for the music of ideas and for contrasting voices, he presents the story of these two cousins — how they interact, what they mean to each other, how their past intersects with the present — in a way that’s so supple you can touch their reality."

I sat down with Jesse at the Ram's Head Inn, a seaside hideaway in Shelter Island. The historic property was the site of several famous physics conferences that hosted J. Robert Oppenheimer and Stephen Hawking over the years. The Ram's Head continues the tradition of being an incubator for great talents. Jesse took part in a new film series there called, The Ram Film Society.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices