“This will be a tour about pain,” cautions James, the earnest British guide shepherding a group of American Jews on a tour of Poland. The small group includes David and Benji, two cousins from New York on a visit to Poland to honour their recently deceased grandmother Dori, a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust.

The character of our grandmother is based on my Aunt Doris. She was bored and raised in Poland, was such an unusual person and gave me such grounding in my life. She died at 101 and while the film is fictional, it has many personal, autobiographical elements that came out, like my aunt and even filming at the home my family lived in in Poland.

Culkin, who won a Golden Globe for 'A Real Pain' almost pulled out of the project until producer Emma Stone flew him to the set

Kieran Culkin played Fuller McCallister, while his brother Macaulay Culkin starred as cousin Kevin, in ‘Home Alone’

The duo discuss their beautifully bittersweet road movie A Real Pain, which is already a favorite this awards season

In A Real Pain, Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg play mismatched cousins, Benji Kaplan and David Kaplan. They travel to Europe to honor their grandmother and track their Jewish lineage. Dysfunction arises when the two drastically different personalities face unresolved tensions from the past.

The film, dubbed an heir of Woody Allen, follows Jewish American cousins who travel to Poland in memory of their late grandmother

Written and directed by Jesse Esienberg, A Real Pain is already making waves on the awards circuit. A story about cultural heritage, loss and familial relationships, the new film arrives on streaming just in time to get caught up before the Oscars.