In January, I saw a terrific movie at Sundance coming out later this year called A Real Pain.  Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, it stars the Oscar nominee alongside award-winning actor Kieran Culkin as cousins who travel to Poland to honor their beloved grandmother.  Having grown up and apart, the once close family members realize how different their lives have become, resulting in a road trip dramedy that struck several satisfyingly emotional notes.  Eisenberg’s writing was superb and put Culkin (hopefully) on the runway for an Oscar nomination of his own after Searchlight Pictures distributes the film this October.

I wanted to get the discussion of A Real Pain out there now because it’s hard not to see the similarities between that film and this new tragicomedy from writer/director Julia von Heinz.  Treasure, based on the 1999 memoir Too Many Men by Lily Brett, concerns a father and daughter who travel to Poland to help the daughter understand more about her parents and what they went through as Holocaust survivors.  Rooted in the 1990s, it takes us on a journey that feels familiar and, somehow, despite the road trip formula feeling thoroughly exhausted at this point, refreshingly new.   

We first see New York music journalist Ruth (Lena Dunham, This is 40) anxiously awaiting the arrival of her father, Edek, in Poland.  He’s missed the first flight, almost blissfully unaware of how that impacts their travel plans and the tickets she’s bought for the train to transport them to their first destination, where they will begin their journey.  Unlike his easily rankled daughter, Edek (Stephen Fry, Red, White & Royal Blue), a widower, comes across as a man driven by personality and one who could make ten friends walking down the street.  He also doesn’t appear to see how he annoys his daughter with careless remarks about her life and livelihood.

As they make their way through the country, accompanied by their Polish driver, Stefan (Zbigniew Zamachowski), they uncover memories buried under the ashes of war and confront long-standing secrets Edek isn’t rushing to reveal.  What begins as a benign bonding excursion blooms into an affecting exploration of heritage fractured by an unresolved historical legacy.  Offered a chance to reconnect with his strong-willed daughter as they explore his childhood haunts, many of which now feel haunted, can Edek be the vulnerable father Ruth hopes to find?

As with A Real Pain, there’s a challenge in finding the right tone for Treasure within a country that holds such a deep history throughout the world.  Thankfully, like Eisenberg, von Heinz gives her film its own voice, handling tonal shifts with few flashy flourishes that would distract from the story.  Quirky in a way that’s evocative of Wes Anderson at his warmest, Treasure navigates emotional minefields with disarming whimsy.  Dunham and Fry are both comedians gifted with an ear for well-timed dialogue, so their cross-generational rapport is handled with a playfully poignant yet never maudlin effect.

Primarily known for her work behind the camera in recent years (directing Catherine Called Birdy in 2022), it was wonderful to see Dunham back on screen, reminding us that she’s a strong actress and a brilliant writer.  Unsurprisingly, she can handle the prickly parental exchanges between her character and Fry’s, but the tenderness on the flipside is a welcome new shade she’s added to her color wheel.  I’ve been bingeing The Morning Show lately, so I am perhaps more aware of Fry’s ability to handle drama than most, and I think he’s outstanding here.  Both stars feed well off one another, creating a bright, distinctive dynamic.  I also greatly enjoyed the touching support offered by Zamachowski’s driver, who takes a minor role and makes it unique.

Operating as both a heartfelt tribute to family and a reflection on personal history, von Heinz takes the familiar structure of a road trip movie and makes it stand out for its performances and the emotional connection it can offer to an audience.  Along with Daniela Knapp’s straightforward camera work that lets the actors be the flashiest features on screen, Treasure presents a unique travelogue that hearkens back to a bygone era of warmly humanistic indie dramedies.  Reveling in its flawed characters, it asks questions about identity, family, and our disconnect with both, leading us to take incredible journeys of the heart.