Quick Take: Dave Franco’s psychological thriller is a paranoid traveler’s nightmare, prepare for your heart rate to skyrocket.
Dave Franco wants you to rethink your summer vacation plans. Or at least, prepare you for the worst: your rental is not as safe as you think it is. In his impressive directorial debut, The Rental, Franco and his co-writer Joe Swanberg have not so subtly planted the seed that privacy is not guaranteed. Using classic horror tropes to tell a modern story, this unsettling thriller is a paranoid traveler’s nightmare and perhaps a much needed cautionary tale that we should all be double-checking our next Airbnb for cameras and wire-taps.
What was supposed to be a celebratory weekend getaway to the Oregon coast turns into the trip from hell when two couples make a sinister discovery in their house rental. A couple of red flags appear when married couple Charlie (Dan Stevens) and Michelle (Alison Brie), Charlie’s brother Josh (Jeremey Allen White), and Josh’s girlfriend Mina (Sheila Vand) first arrive at the house but things just seem odd rather than illegal. Charlie and Mina also have a business relationship that, not surprisingly, has led to some sexual tension and predictable mishaps. Their one-time indiscretion risks getting exposed when Mina discovers a camera in the house, threatening their secret and ruining the lives of their partner’s and themselves. Unfortunately for them, this discovery is just the tip of the iceberg, as the “oh shit” moments grow bigger, more invasive, and even deadly.
A fantastic ensemble cast and a clever script gave me the chills, although I initially felt unsatisfied with some of the film’s ambiguity. It seemed like an easy way out of an otherwise well-executed and sticky plot. But as the credits rolled, something clicked. Ambiguity and anonymity are just as much of a threat -if not more so- than an “obvious” villain. Feeling on-edge without the ability to grasp hold of something tangible is an awful feeling, as seen in the mental unraveling of the protagonists. The psychological effects from The Rental will fall outlast the instant gratification of shock and awe horror films, making Franco’s first foray into the director’s chair a success.
Distributed by IFC Films, The Rental is available on VOD and over 250 drive-ins and theaters. For more information, click here.
