Alison Brie in The Rental
Quick cut: Dave Franco's directorial debut isn't a groundbreaking slow-burn thriller, but it is a competently made, supremely acted, and satisfyingly effective one.
Chloé Zhao makes Nomadland‘s melancholic but hopeful story of nomads traversing the American West a stunningly complex character study of life on the margins of society.
Unlike many other feature debuts, especially those from actors turned directors, Dave Franco's The Rental is surprisingly restrained. So often do directors feel as if they need to prove themselves with over-the-top stylistic decisions that often ring false. Instead, Franco pares down the slow-burn thriller—that starts off as a just as compelling relationship drama—to its raw elements and delivers a satisfyingly devilish good time.
Set in the idyllic northwest, The Rental, written by Franco and indie darling Joe Swanberg, quickly gives us deep insights to our main quartet. Brothers Charlie (Dan Stevens) and Josh (Jeremy Allen-White) are the classic polar opposite siblings. Charlie is a successful entrepreneur who is business partners with Josh's girlfriend Mina (standout Sheila Vand). Both Josh and Charlie's wife Michelle (Alison Brie) are acutely aware of Charlie and Mina's chemistry, but largely ignore it. More on that later.
After arriving at their cliffside Airbnb, there is an orgy of signs that basically say “you are going to die.” A beautiful remote home with way too many windows, a mysterious locked door in the crawlspace, and, of course, a creepy host (Toby Huss) whose racist undertones (overtones?) give cause for concern.
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However, the vacationing couples have things in mind other than the odd occurrences. Charlie and Mina are celebrating some success with their startup and Michelle, who brings a bag of molly, is more focused on getting turnt than the obvious signs of flirtation in front of her.
Surprisingly, a large chunk of the movie is dedicated to fleshing out the characters and backstory. I'd even go as far as to say that the movie is really a relationship drama disguised as a thriller. The real tension at the start is whether or not Charlie and Mina's chemistry goes further than at work and if Michelle and Josh are willing to notice it. Franco and Swanberg even dedicate more than one scene to the subject, which is why one drug-induced hot tub make-out session later is when the movie truly hits the fan.
Even when the movie takes its turn to become a genre flick—I'd even go as far to say a full-blown horror—it maintains its anchoring in character. We don't truly know what kind of movie The Rental is going to be until we're already careening down a cliffside towards a horrific climax that is well worth the wait. Like Karyn Kusama's brilliant The Invitation, Franco isn't afraid to let us question what is truly going on for a beat too long. It adds to the suspense—and the fun.
For fear of saying to much, I'll end with this: The Rental doesn't break new ground. However, the well-trodden ground its playing in can still be fresh and effective. With stunning Hitchcockian cinematography by Christian Sprenger and an eerie atmospheric by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, Franco's directorial debut shows mighty promise with hidden horrors that feel like a hammer to the head.
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Hey! I'm Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I'm also a Tomatometer-approved critic.
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