'Scare'bnb
Two couples rent a spacious house in a seemingly remote location. What could possibly go wrong?
It sounds like a familiar set-up, and in a lot of ways "The Rental" is a movie that has been done many times before. The new thriller is the directorial debut of actor Dave Franco ("If Beale Street Could Talk"), who co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Swanberg, and he shows his ability at creating mood and atmosphere, which helps builds suspense. "The Rental" is a promising start for a new filmmaker.
The movie opens with Charlie (Dan Stevens, "The Call of the Wild") and Nina (Shelia Vand, "Triple Frontier") looking for a rental property. They are in their office and seem a bit too close. Are they together? Charlie's younger brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) enters and it becomes known he is dating Nina. Charlie is married to Michelle (Alison Brie, GLOW). The four decide to go away together to relax, have some fun, and celebrate some exciting news Charlie and Nina have received at work.
Once they arrive on the property, Nina is immediately suspicious of the owner, Taylor (Toby Huss, Halt and Catch Fire), who seems a bit too strange and mysterious for her liking. She's also curious about why she was unable to rent the same property under her name, but Charlie had no problem securing the location. Josh is really looking forward to having a good time, so he tries to convince Nina everything will be okay.
Of course, things don't go as expected. "The Rental" isn't so much about surprising you at every turn - though it does have its twists - as creating an uncomfortable sense of tension. Any filmmaker, with the right budget and creative sense, can splash blood against the screen, but there is a certain level of skill that Franco displays in unsettling us with the stillness of his movie. Though narratively different, "The Rental" calls to mind films like "The Shining," where the location and the remoteness is what's most terrifying. That's a big comparison for someone early in their directorial career, but Franco earns it with his first film.
Franco has written several shorts, but "The Rental" is his first attempt at penning a feature. Though cowritten by seasoned independent filmmaker Swanberg, the screenplay for "The Rental" might seem to wade into familiar narrative tropes and come up short by the end of the film. Perhaps, it even elicits a feeling of, "That's it?" But the movie effectively lingers, and the unsettling environment created by Franco leaves an impression. He has plenty of time to figure out his strengths as a filmmaker and grow as a writer. For now, "The Rental" is a strong beginning to a new phase in Franco's career.
"The Rental" begins a limited theatrical and drive-in run on July 24, as well as VOD.
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