Triplex Screens 'A Real Pain'

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Triplex Cinema announced a special screening of the critically acclaimed film "A Real Pain," which includes a discussion about the film with Hevreh Synagogue Senior Rabbi Jodie Gordon.

The discussion and screening will take place at 7:30 pm on Dec. 12 and tickets can be purchased at thetriplex.org.

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain" tells the story of mismatched Jewish cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) who reunite for a guided tour through Poland to honor their beloved and recently deceased grandmother. 

According to a press release:

Released in November 2024 to great critical acclaim, "A Real Pain" has been a hit with audiences everywhere and is predicted to be a leading contender as awards season gets underway. In a starred review in the New York Times, Manohla Dargis wrote: "Jesse Eisenberg races straight into life's stubborn untidiness in ‘A Real Pain,' a finely tuned, melancholic and at times startlingly funny exploration of loss and belonging." Writing in Variety Magazine, Owen Gleiberman wrote: "Culkin, for all his crack timing, is not giving a ‘comedy' performance. He's doing a sensational piece of acting as a compulsive wiseacre addicted to the ways of one-upmanship…. [T]he movie, which Eisenberg has scripted with an ear for the music of ideas and contrasting voices, presents the story of these two cousins – how they interact, what they mean to each other, how their past intersects with the present – in a way that's so supple you can touch their reality."

Senior Rabbi Jodie Gordon came to Hevreh in Great Barrington in 2014. A graduate of The University of Wisconsin and Brandeis University, Rabbi Gordon has long ties to the Berkshires through her time at URJ Eisner Camp.  Rabbi Gordon is an active part of the community as a board member of Construct Inc. and is also involved in other local organizations.

Nicki Wilson, President of the Triplex Board of Directors, said: "Our community has already had an amazingly enthusiastic response to ‘A Real Pain,' and we cannot wait to hear what Rabbi Gordon says about this moving, beautiful and timely film."

Great Barrington Fire, Police Respond to Chimney Fire

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
02:48PM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Fire Chief Scott Turner called for mutual aid as soon as he saw flames. 

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Firefighters made quick work of a chimney fire on Tuesday afternoon and two police officers aided the occupant in escaping the building. 

 

Fire Chief Scott Turner said the blaze at 205 North St. was reported about 12:38 p.m.

 

"When I arrived on scene, we had a small amount of flames coming out of the eaves of the roof over by the chimney for the wood stove, and then we had light smoke conditions on the second floor," he said. 

 

Police Officers Andres Huertas and Elias Casey were first on the scene and immediately entered the single-family home to find the occupant was on the second floor. 

 

They helped her out of the building, Turner said, "they did a great job."

 

The chimney is a metal chimney and burn marks could been seen where it meets the eaves on the side of the building. 

 

North Street is a narrow residential way and firetrucks from Alford, Egremont, Monterey, Richmond, Stockbridge and West Stockbridge were parked along nearby streets. Scene support was provided by police, Southern Berkshire Ambulance, and National Grid.