Best friends Ben (Jacob Roberts) and Jordan (David Treviño) are struggling to make ends meet in New York City. Ben is staying with a couple, half of whom he’s secretly been intimate with, while Jordan is on the outs with his girlfriend Anna (Molly Edelman). When Ben is caught in the midst of a sexual act with the male half of the couple hosting him, he finds himself with nowhere to live. Reluctantly he travels back to Austin, Texas with Jordan in tow and the friends plan to spend the next year living rent free by couch surfing with friends. With the eventual aim of returning to New York with cash in their pockets, the friends hit more than a few unexpected bumps in the road.
‘Rent Free’ is the second film from film-maker Fernando Andrés and it’s a buddy comedy with indie movie sensibilities. That’s to say that the budget may be small but the ideas are big, and Andrés crafts an ambitious film that explores some issues that haven’t been mined to death in the past. Ben is a gay man who flits from sexual liaison to sexual liaison, with little care for the consequences, while Jordan is a dormant bisexual who has been happily in a heterosexual relationship. Following the upheaval of the set-up, Ben and Jordan find themselves living in Ben’s childhood home before they embark on a sofa-to-sofa journey in their bid to save money.
While the premise is very-much the driving force of the film, Andrés spends time dissecting his two main characters, and the way they behave with one another. The two friends are inseparable despite being incredibly different. At one point a minor character suggests that maybe the two just need to sleep together, but that idea is met with revulsion from both men although it does eventually crop up again before the credits roll. While Ben longs to be back in New York and tries to make the best of the situation, Jordan has his eyes opened to a world that he’s opted out of for a number of years. The character starts the film considering himself to be better behaved and more mature than Ben, but that doesn’t prove to be the case when temptation strikes.
The film is a little uneven in places, not always sure what tone it’s aiming for or how best to move the story along, but where it stands strong is in its two leads. Jacob Roberts and David Treviño really sell the friendship of Ben and Jordan, uncovering the good, the bad and the very ugly. You believe them as friends, you have a niggling suspicion that there could be more between them, and you flit from backing one to backing the other several times throughout the film. Roberts leans more into the comedic aspect of his character while Treviño gives an impressively nuanced performance. Together, they pull you in and keep you interested even when the film lags a little.
‘Rent Free’ is the kind of indie film that deserves a bigger audience than it’ll likely get. It’s the kind of film that will get discovered via film festivals and through word-of-mouth, and if you get a chance to see it, then do. While it’s not a perfect film, there’s plenty here that’s worthy of your time and watching Roberts and Treviño is reason enough to give the film a go. Both an exploration of maturing and male friendship, the film is also an exploration of finding direction in life and getting to grips with your sexuality.
Cast: Jacob Roberts, David Treviño, Molly Edelman Director: Fernando Andrés Writers: Fernando Andrés & Tyler Rugh Certificate: Unrated Duration: 93 mins Released by: Cinephobia Releasing Release date: 27th June 2025
