
Synopsis: Ben and Jordan, best friends, decide to exploit friends, family, and strangers in optimistic hopes to avoid paying rent for a year after hitting both emotional and financial lows across the city of Austin as well.
Fernando Andres without a doubt impressed at the 138th director’s cut of the Tribeca film festival where he starred with Tyler Rugh in Three Headed beasts, their first feature film. Without going over the previous review of that previously discussed film, I’d highlight how it was provocative quite literally from the very beginning. Now, two years have past since his first appearance and Andrés returned to the festival with another film Rent Free. In fact, even before watching it, I think I can still repeat what I said the first time I came across his work: it’s a great pleasure to be in the audience at the beginning of someone’s fascinating talent. Rent Free co-written by Andres together with one of the writers the same way co-director Rugh made this picture makes one feel that the absence of focus on politics in modern cinema is the rule rather than an exception. At the very least, one can recall such films and guess that there are hardly any of them created nowadays.
In my daily adoration of cinema, a crucial thought occupied my mind that was not sparked by any particular film or story, but rather by the era’s general trends. It feels like the majority of the films being created at this time seem to avoid being modern-specific, and there’s nothing wrong with it either. In fact, there is probably a good reason behind the decision; after all, the world is messy and the sound of the present is definitely a concerning matter. But when Aurora calls it an “Escape”, it makes more sense. Who doesn’t enjoy fiction set in a sublime, seemingly far-off era? Still, there are films that explain pretty well why the world they portray is irreversibly broken. For example, ‘Harry Street’ by E. Hemingway. Someone has to explain that logic and the creators of Harry Street have a pretty good idea how. Looking forward, I can say that ‘Harry Street’ depicts the major approach very clearly as the world created through its lens is painfully flawed.
The nice part is that once having witnessed it in real life, it is a happy moment.
Concerns are to be expected as one goes about living their life. This unfortunate aspect of life is something that all people in the world share. These issues are numerous and can come from different points but it is fair to say that most people at some point in time have been troubled by monetarist issues. And this is certainly true for Ben (Jacob Roberts) and Jordan (David Treviño). A childhood friend of Jordan and Ben has spent their entire young adult lives together in their thirties today and this friendship is bound to grow. Jordan as of late has disposed of all his possessions and is ready to usher in his New York phase, while Ben is about to sign a new contract bringing him out of the city. Jordan, being the loved one that he is, accompanies Ben to New York to bid farewell and enjoy the city briefly with his friends. And as they already know, yes, New York is quite a costly place to reside in.
This is a fact that Andrés does not shy away from as he boldly displays the address and the monthly rent incurred by the couple in large block letters across the screen. Rent Free starts to take form rather easily, with topical details regarding composition such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms available. Moving from the boroughs that he has called home all his life, constantly in the hunt for affordable rent, this amount is frightening. And this amount serves as a constant source of grief whenever one relocates, as regardless of the location, regardless of the issue, this particular figure seems to be present at all times. Like clockwork, it comes viciously creeping back to the forefront of our thoughts once every month, with no cessation of this cycle in sight. Yes, New York City, in particular, can be an astronomically expensive place to live. But it is obviously such a fun place with a ton of opportunities. (And no, this isn’t a personal opinion.) This means that we get to watch Ben and Jordan, who don’t have any money at all, and are forced to explore everything the city has to offer for Free. Throughout this free presentation, Andrés discards the expectations that fans of his previous film might have had of him.
While Three Headed Beast exuded calmness, Rent Free is at the other end of the spectrum. What could be the reason? The usual worries of what it is like to be a 20-something in this era!
Ben and Jordan lose the houses they had intended to stay in, which is quite a plot twist. And when one of them argues while drunk, he develops an absurd idea which is the basis of the plan that these two devise. A more fitting description would be a scheme; as they call it, it is a social experiment in the marketplace. Despite the context, they agree that for the remainder of the current calendar year, there will be no rent payments to be made for the two roommates. They are well-liked by all of their friends, who are in high numbers in Austin. Looking ahead, they will save, and surely, they will have a good time with their dearest pals during this transitional phase of living. What is the worst that could possibly happen? As it turns out, quite a lot. In the spirit of buddy comedies or road trip movies, Rent Free is an absolute parody offering all the best features of both comic sub-genres.
everything seems rather simple when it comes to where the film was primarily shot, which is Austin, but in fact the city’s apartments and houses along with their rents are quite different from each other. That is why it is also quite crucial for the duo to have a wide variety of situations throughout the story. It’s also important, though, that they encounter a variety of repercussions, whether as a result of their own absurd behaviors and blunders or simply due to their hosts’ actions towards them. This is, at its core, a situational comedy, but one that should speak to many of its admirers as it also works as a gentle criticism of capitalism in its second function, and a lamentation about the quality of life of the younger generation. Once when I was visiting Austin, I must state that I had always been so intrigued by the city long before I even had a chance to travel as I was very impressed by its concept. I absolutely enjoyed my week-long stay there and I really hope to visit again soon. However, as far as the other people who have lived there for a long time, I could understand that Austin seems to be in transition. The changes or as he explains it ‘the 360 of the culture’ is something even Andrés has experienced in the ever-changing landscape of Austin.
Multiple statements in Rent Free raise some red flags regarding the change that has now taken root in Austin. A lot of big technology companies have settled into the city and in turn, the living costs shot up everywhere. It is a story that is as old as American capitalism whereby cities in the entire country were and are still gradually becoming expensive but more so, losing their identity and the reason why they were loved in the first place. This is not to suggest that places like Austin or New York are not good places to live in, but there is an evident and drastic change as far as the people from the respective cities are concerned. And what about people like us who are young and still trying to establish themselves? Going door to door asking for jobs, or even looking for opportunities in the field, seems more like a comedic exercise more than anything fruitful (and also what Rent Free does rather humorously). The whole app-centred interactions culture leaves a lot to be desired and is practically void of joy (which Rent Free also takes a shot at).
With the millions of dollars in exchange for living in cramped spaces, more and more people are reducing their private spaces and are surviving with one, two, or in some cases three roommates (something quite deconstructive about “Rent Free”) the meaning of the word ‘place’ appears to have been redefining itself year after year. Throughout the movie, it does not seem as though Ben and Jordan will be able to offer a solution to this conundrum. And that’s welcomed especially since it can legitimately be slightly hurtful, albeit, comforting to witness one’s own struggle presented on screen with such honesty. One of the great cinematic philosophic debates is Wallace Shawn’s monologue in ‘My Dinner with Andre’ ‘In Paris, when I was young, I was so comfortable. I never thought about money. And now, everywhere, all that is necessary to think is about money. Sadly, this is one of the few aplenty truths of life. Yet, even with such a gloomy premise at the heart of Rent Free, Andrey and Rugh’s screenplay manages to comedic spin to such moments in life.
Ben and Jordan are quite visibly depicted as two extremely chaotic individuals. They are actually hilarious to watch as they kind of screw themselves throughout the entire event on more than one occasion. And this seems to be the focal point of Rent Free. It is nothing new, is it, that in this world and more so in this life, we are going to screw up at some point or the other for sure. There is no way out. The faster we come to terms with it, the better and quicker it will be to get over the slip in the first place. And more often than not, a slip is all it is. What appears to be a huge problem and insurmountable ordeal is actually just a scraped knee or a minor episode in one’s life. There are bots in this film that make mistakes If Ben and Jordan. And as a matter of fact, some of the backlash from the consequences of actions made are indeed suffered. But importantly, they deal with the weaknesses of each other.
And they do so in a way that only long-time friends can do; very rude, bordering on nasty sometimes. But after so many years of knowing each other, at times, it is that crag that is necessary to deepen the feelings. That’s how you come to recollect all the events that transpired, over breakfast the next day, but equally important, how they make you reconsider your own way of doing things. There is a sense that with Rent Free, Andrés knows his position, that he knows we are all learning on the job. It is through that process that we discover ourselves, our friends, and the world. And so it is also impressive to watch how Andrés takes us through these processes, bringing in context for the very people who are actually going through it all. Whatever trouble of the young adult life that Andrés intends to focus the camera on next, he will do so, knowing fully well, how to look at the issue with a sense of honesty, curiosity, and thrill.
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