How Topic Studios Shepherded Film to Critical Triumph

As Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” heads into Oscars weekend with two nominations following a fruitful awards season as a critical darling, it’s hard to believe the film was once turned down by every single distribution company approached (bet they’re kicking themselves now).

In the wake of those “discouraging” rejections, Eisenberg, who also stars in the film alongside Kieran Culkin, approached indie production company Topic Studios, whose previous films include “Spencer,” “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” and “Theater Camp.”

“When we met Topic, it was such a great relief, because they loved the movie. They understood that the tone was unusual, and they appreciated the movie for what it is, as opposed to questioning it or wanting it to be something different,” Eisenberg tells Variety. “We were very lucky.”

But Ryan Heller, EVP of Film & Documentary at Topic Studios, counts himself as the lucky one. “We had met Jesse and the Fruit Tree team when they were initially looking for financing for Jesse’s first movie, ‘When You Finish Saving the World.’ We loved that script. We had a really great meeting about the movie, and it ended up kind of going a different way, but we had stayed in touch,” Heller says. “When they were going out with this next movie, I said, ‘Please let us know if there’s ever a conversation about it.’ They sent it to us, and it was just one of the best scripts we’d ever read. Full stop.”

“A Real Pain” follows an odd couple of two cousins as they embark on a Jewish heritage tour in Poland to honor their late grandmother. It’s a thoughtful character study that’s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, so it’s no wonder that Eisenberg has racked up over a dozen wins on the awards circuit for his screenplay.

Facilitating a creative environment to develop scripts like Eisenberg’s is exactly why Topic Studios was created, says founder and CEO Michael Bloom. “When I started the company, my goal was to back artists that were trying to really take a step out and do ambitious or really boldly original work. That meant taking chances on people and betting not just on first-timers or upcoming artists, but even quite well-known people who are trying something new or different.” Among those upcoming ambitious projects are “Splitsville” with Dakota Johnson and “Mother Mary” with Anne Hathaway.

In a year where the majority of decorated films were made outside of the big studio machines, Bloom argues that independent production allows for the purest artistic process, free of the red tape that sometimes plagues larger productions.

“The studios’ business model is actually quite different. Those that are publicly traded companies are serving different masters, so the choices they make creatively and financially are very different than an independent company like ours,” Bloom says. “Because we don’t have the budgets that the big guys do, you’re forced to be really, really judicious about the projects you choose to make, and you have to be really clear about why you’re making them.”

Topic may not boast a bank of billions like the big guys, but its personal touch saved “A Real Pain” during a difficult production setback. “We lost some state funding while we were in Poland due to a technical error and a procedural error,” Eisenberg recalls. “Topic stayed with the movie and gave us a little more money to fill in some of that gap. Unfortunately, we couldn’t fill in the entire gap, so the movie was made for three and a half million, which was lower than what we originally wanted. But Topic was so generous with us, and called us immediately to tell us, ‘We’re still making this film. We’ll figure it out.’”

Heller says that crucial mettle test only made for a more compelling film in the end. “There’s something to be said for a film fighting for its life and fighting for its existence as you’re making it.”

That’s why, for his next outing as a writer-director, Eisenberg didn’t hesitate to re-team with Topic and Fruit Tree. “I’ve never worked in the studio system as writer or director, so I don’t know what that exact experience is like. However, I’ve acted in many studio movies, and have often heard directors just complain about studio intervention in a way that makes them feel as though their job has been rendered useless,” he says. “I’ve worked with some great screenwriters who call themselves ‘typists’ for the studios, because they’re essentially just writing. They’re just appeasing studio notes. I haven’t had that experience at all!”

Eisenberg will also contribute original music to the new project, a musical comedy starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. “We went to Topic first to see if they would be interested in it,” he says. “Ryan Heller, who runs the company with Michael Bloom, basically said that this is a movie made for them. My new movie is about people doing a community theater show, and the year before, Topic had done ‘Theater Camp.’ … We had such a great experience with them through ‘A Real Pain,’ that we were so happy to work with them again.”

Bloom doesn’t take that faith for granted. “The truth is, Jesse could go make his next movie anywhere,” he says. “Us being able to make Jesse’s next movie is, to me, a real signal that we’re doing something right by artists. I’m a bit of a romantic around this, and I may sound a little hokey, but I wanted to create a company by artists, for artists that was really sympathetic to the artist view.”