The Rental (2020) - Lies, Deception and More Lies

Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Michelle is in her own personal hell and can't get out. Her boyfriend Charlie is in complete denial about the person he really is. His brother Josh is facing the grim reality that he is the monster he thought he was. And Josh's girlfriend Mina is stuck in an increasingly surreal nightmare that she helped build. Although this is how the story ends for our two couples - the silky strands of this webbing merge from the beginning.

Dave Franco and Joe Swanberg's screenplay bluffs its way into our psyche right from the start, with gorgeous scenery to put us at ease. A woman intimately draped over the shoulder of a man as they longingly stare at still images on a computer reveals their yearning for a rental getaway. And the lulling sounds of the ocean from the aforementioned scenery serenade us into submission. But we're already misled. There is no such beautiful place, nor are these two characters a couple - we just created that story in our head.



The film is about two couples who want nothing more than to get away for a weekend and celebrate a recent business victory. The tale doesn't invest in disposable personalities and it's clear the relationships are important to Franco and Swanberg. But behind all that there's an opposing force that is brought to light with all the elements that are used to create great cinema. There's flawless pacing achieved by Kyle Reiter's brilliant editing and the lighting works hard to accentuate every scene.

The low end in the audio mix gets a great workout too. The tones descend you into the depths of this disturbing playground; even booming in before the first images hit our retinas and if I want to be scared, this is what I want to experience. The music was produced by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurrians. And although Jurrian's work doesn't drum up instant memories, Bensi's work with Jason Bateman on Ozark is unforgettable. I can hear the similarities from his work there and the track titled 'Enjoy Your Stay' is the perfect theme for where the stories veracity lies.

The Very nature of a lie stems from the shame in the alternative. Or at least for our characters it does. The creators, on the other hand, seem to enjoy toying with our emotions and reveal a truth in the end that we have to swallow.