The Rental

Directed by Dave Franco, The Rental follows two couples (Dan Stevens’ Charlie and Alison Brie’s Michelle, and Sheila Vand’s Mina and Jeremy Allen White’s Josh) as they rent a seaside house for a weekend getaway – with complications ensuing after the four friends are confronted with a series of personal (and not-so-personal) problems. First-time filmmaker Franco, working from a script written with Joe Swanberg, does a superb job of initially drawing the viewer into the deliberately-paced proceedings, as the movie boasts a compelling opening stretch that effectively establishes the central characters and the somewhat uneasy dynamic between them – with the engrossing atmosphere heightened by the actors’ uniformly stellar work and Franco’s stylish approach to the material. (The film, in terms of the latter, benefits substantially from Christian Sprenger’s moody cinematography and Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans’ haunting score.) There’s little doubt, certainly, that the movie’s transition from low-key drama to something far more thrilling and visceral is handled exceedingly well by Franco, and it’s clear, too, that The Rental closes with an absolutely enthralling and spellbinding climactic stretch that ensures that the whole thing finishes on a palpably electric, memorable note – which effectively cements the picture’s place as a seriously impressive debut from a thoroughly promising new filmmaker.

***1/2 out of ****