The ambiguity of the film's view towards its secondary characters (particularly Eloge and the tour guide, James) doesn't register so much as an interesting uncertainty to be unpacked by the viewer, but part of the film's broader lack of direction. Are they being gently teased, or are they earnest characters? Notwithstanding that the film's main character is meant to be Benji, the film's inconsistent view towards these other parts starts to merge with the stark lapses of continuity.
As an aside, in the abstract, it's kind of brave throwing the word "genocide" around a few times, even if it's through the breezily uncontroversial lens of the Rwandan civil war.
[Benji is] a charming, misanthropic, maladaptive, angry person. I haven't played anything like that in a movie, so I thought I would. Then Emma Stone, who's the producer and has been on more sets than anybody, told me, "I think it's going to be too difficult for you to play the unhinged character while also trying to control a set." She was exactly right, so I thought I would play this character that's a little more natural.
— Jesse Eisenberg: Interview (Sight & Sound, Winter 2024)
It’s a strange movie—far better as a concept than as a drama, though the concept is strong enough to provide a sense of inner experience, making up for what the outer, onscreen experience lacks.
— Richard Brody (The New Yorker)
Synopsis: Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.