‘A Actual Ache’ Ending Defined: Why Does Benji Keep On the Airport?

Should you’re curious concerning the film that result in Kieran Culkin vowing to impregnate his spouse on the 2025 Oscars on Sunday evening, I’ve excellent news: A Actual Ache is at present streaming on Hulu.

Written, directed, and produced by Jesse Eisenberg, A Actual Ache first premiered on the 2024 Sundance Movie Competition, and went on to be nominated for 2 Academy Awards: Finest Supporting Actor (Culkin) and Finest Unique Screenplay. As anybody who noticed that speech is aware of, Culkin took house the Oscar, beating his Succession co-star Jeremy Sturdy.

A Actual Ache is a lightweight drama that tells the story of two very totally different cousins (performed by Eisenberg and Culkin) who take a tour of Poland in honor of their late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. A lot of the character motivations are left as much as the viewers to interpret, which can result in some confusion, particularly on the subject of the ultimate scene of the film.

Concern not, as a result of Decider is right here to assist. Learn on for a breakdown of A Actual Ache plot abstract and A Actual Ache ending, together with why Benji stayed on the airport.

A Actual Ache plot abstract:

Two very totally different cousins, David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin), embark on a heritage tour of Poland in honor of their grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, who lately died. The film opens with the cousins assembly on the airport, the place Benji reveals he arrived hours early for the flight, as a result of, apparently, he likes to hang around at airports.

David is uptight and anxious, and although he clearly loves his cousin, he additionally finds Benji’s free-spirited, eccentric, and loud character to be off-putting. We see how charming and charismatic Benji may be, like when he convinces your entire tour group to take a foolish group photograph (minus David, who declines after which feels ignored).

However we additionally see how unstable he may be, like when he has a shouting match on the prepare over sitting firstclass on a tour about previous struggling. Or when he confronts the tour information about his “barrage of details.” Or when he has a meltdown at a bunch dinner over a pointed remark from David about third-generation immigrants “dwelling of their mother’s basement who smoke pot all day.” For every of those social fake pas, David feels obligated to apologize on behalf of his cousin.

At that fateful dinner, after Benji leaves the desk, Benji shares that his cousin has all the time been “up and down.” It’s not mentioned out loud, but it surely’s affordable to imagine he could have bipolar dysfunction. David vents his frustrations over his cousin’s habits, noting that he, too, struggles with psychological well being points however that he “is aware of my ache is unexceptional, so I don’t really feel the necessity to burden everybody with it.” (Paradoxically, David follows up this assertion with a tearful speech about dwelling with Benji, which, one would possibly argue, is “burdening” the group along with his ache.) He additionally reveals that Benji as soon as tried suicide by overdose.

As they navigate their shared generational trauma and Jewish heritage, these two cousins discover a approach to higher perceive one another. One evening, David asks Benji what he plans to do subsequent, when he goes house to Binghamton. Benji will get defensive, and doesn’t appear to have an actual reply, or a course in life. David additionally confronts Benji about his suicide try, and admits he’s jealous of Benji’s easy appeal.

On their final day in Poland, the cousins depart the tour and go to their grandmothers previous home. David suggests they place stones on the steps of the door—a Jewish custom to memorialize late family members, and an echo of a suggestion Benji made earlier within the tour. Despite the fact that they get yelled at by a neighbor, David stands up for himself and his cousin. We see, on this second, that David is making an effort to know Benji, and even act just a little bit extra like him.

A Actual Ache ending defined:

Within the remaining scene of the film, David and Benji say goodbye to one another on the airport in New York Metropolis. David invitations Benji to come back have dinner along with his spouse and child, however Benji declines. He additionally declines Davids provide to accompany him to Penn Station to take a prepare again to Binghamton, the place Benji lives. As an alternative, Benji mentioned he needs to “kick it” on the airport.

“I kinda prefer it right here,” he tells David. “You meet the craziest folks.”

David, in response, slaps Benji, as a result of Benji had beforehand instructed him that when their grandmother had slapped him, and it was “one of the best factor that ever occurred to him,” as a result of it confirmed how a lot she cared about him. However David rapidly realizes it is a totally different scenario, and apologizes. It’s a humorous second, but it surely’s additionally candy, as a result of we see David needs desperately to exhibit that he cares about Benji, however nonetheless isn’t certain how to do this.

David and Benji chortle, hug it out, and alternate “I really like you’s.” Benji insists to David he’ll be fantastic. David reluctantly leaves, and Benji stays on the airport.

Within the remaining scene of the film, David greets his spouse and children, whereas Benji sits alone on the airport, exchanging pleasant seems to be with the strangers round him.

Why does Benji keep on the airport on the finish of A Actual Ache?

You may interpret the Actual Ache ending in several methods, however my interpretation is that Benji stays on the airport as a result of he actually has no the place else to go. Sure, he presumably has a residence in Binghamton, however not like David, there can be nobody to greet him when he will get house. You get the sense all through the movie that his solely shut private relationship was along with his grandmother, which is why he took her loss of life so onerous.

Benji appears to know that he’s a burden on his cousin David, and he genuinely doesn’t need to be one. He simply doesn’t know some other approach to be. That’s why he declined David’s invitation to dinner. It’s additionally, possibly, why he hopes to search out human reference to strangers on the airport. For somebody like Benji, it’s straightforward to rapidly join with strangers, due to his charisma. It’s after they get to know him higher, and uncover his unstable character, that he turns into a burden. Maybe that’s why he’s drawn an area like an airport, the place you may have an informal interplay with strangers. Most individuals there don’t really feel threatened and have time to spare, and are due to this fact open to chatting.

However hey, that’s simply what I believe. In case you have a unique tackle A Actual Ache‘s ending, let me know within the feedback.