Film festival darling “Rent Free” asks if two LGBTQ buddies can couch surf for a year

The premise is immediate in Rent Free: “We’re not gonna spend money on anything.”

In the new LGBTQ-themed film from writer-director Fernando Andrés, two buddies, one bi (Jordan) and one gay (Ben), spend their last day visiting New York City getting free stuff all day long.

It’s true! Free samples are everywhere. The Staten Island Ferry is always free, as can be museums and the library. They bum free cigarettes and even beer from locals in the park, and the subway is free when you jump the turnstile. “I’m actually kind of surprised at how much free shit there is to do here,” Jordan (David Treviño) observes after his final day in New York City.

That’s when they realize they just might be able to live rent free for an entire year. Implementing this realization becomes even more urgent when Ben (Jacob Roberts) finds himself in need of a home after… well, after he does something so salacious that it gets him kicked out of the sweet deal he already had lined up living rent free with his college roommate and his new wife.

No, no need for a spoiler alert here because I’m not going to tell you the shocking yet comical reason he’s no longer allowed to move in with them and why Jordan and Ben become homeless and in need of free rent. You’ll find out soon enough when you stream Rent Free after its North American release June 27, 2025. Well, just to give you an idea of the intensity of his impropriety, Ben says, “That was the most humiliating moment of my entire life.” The fun and comedy ensue.

Newly homeless and now at both his emotional and financial rock bottom with nothing left but the clothes on his back and a couple of bags, Ben enlists Jordan to basically couch surf with him, seeking free places to crash every night for an entire year when they return to their hometown, a rapidly changing Austin, Texas.

For those of us with an Out In Jersey focus, the “Fuck New York!” cheer made by a group of Austinites is quickly redeemed when one in the group says, “I love New York,” quickly followed by “Me too,” from Ben, when he whispers his true feelings.

The concept of spending an entire year living rent free with the help of friends, family, and strangers is a new premise for a unique movie full of laughs and even a little bit of poignancy.

Another unique technique is posting on screen the rental listings for each new home the duo move into, and there are a lot, each varying in size and monthly rental rates. It does take a long time before the pair work their way back up to the $8,000-per-month Brooklyn residence they start out in. No spoiler alert here, but it turns out that New York is much more expensive than Austin.

The comfortability with queerness is clear from the opening scene when Ben, clad only in a towel, gets on the bed with Jordan, acting like best buds or even as close as an old married couple. A gay buddy movie, perhaps a bromance or even a romcom, you decide when you stream Rent Free… and finally find out what salaciousness originally resulted in Ben getting kicked out from his cherry deal living rent free in his college roommate’s home.

We’re even treated to a variety of different types of gays, singles and couples, who Ben and Jordan encounter along the way, and who are over-the-top stereotypical for comedy’s sake.

The film premiered globally at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival in the U.S. Narrative Competition to critical acclaim and two encore screenings, before playing festivals around the world including BFI Flare London, Frameline San Francisco, New Orleans Film Festival, and the São Paulo International Film Festival. Now, for Pride month, Cinephobia announces its North American release. Cinephobia was launched by president Raymond Murray, the founder of TLA Releasing and Artsploitation Films, who is “dedicated to presenting the most eye-opening genre and LGBTQ+ movies from around the world.”

Murray said: “Fernando Andrés expertly crafts an endearing tale of two men just trying to find their way in the world. Between its stylistic charm, intriguing characters, and fresh look at young adulthood, this film is sure to make an impact. We’re excited to bring Andrés’s latest vision to North American screens.”

Andrés said: “I am thrilled for Rent Free to be released in theaters and on streaming for it to find its audience beyond the festival world. And it is a great privilege to be working with a distributor like Cinephobia that is willing to champion true independent cinema in a challenging American film market that, despite a growing culture of adventurous young cinephiles, is affording fewer and fewer opportunities for low-budget productions and queer stories to be seen.”

In addition to Roberts and Treviño, Rent Free stars Zeke Goodman (Amazon’s Cruel Intentions), Sarah J. Bartholomew (The Chosen), and Temple Baker (Everybody Wants Some!!). The film is produced by Fernando Andrés, Jacob Roberts, and Temple Baker.

It’s a fun movie if you can avoid the ethical question: Is it appropriate to accept free rent from someone under false pretenses knowing yourself but not sharing the fact that your real plan is to only accept that free rent as long as you need to in order to be able to afford to live elsewhere on your own?

Ben actually touches on this thought by ignoring any ethics when he says, “We don’t have to stay that long because if we outstay our welcome we just go somewhere else.”

It’s a comedy, so in-depth analysis about morality takes a backseat, but perhaps the poignancy is instead found in the film’s relationships, particularly when Ben’s dad says about Jordan: “That boy is struggling like you, and you need to be there for him just like he’s been there for you all those so many times in the past.”

Also, the two refer to their rent free year as a social experiment that the universe is telling them to roll with. Perhaps that brief observation is what illustrates another point, not that it’s unethical to freeload on someone for rent but actually that living expenses in general are far too high for young people, requiring them to seek free rent just to make ends meet.

Either way, overall, Rent Free is a light fun comedy with a few poignant insights for those who truly enjoy over-analyzing everything.

Rent Free arrives on video on demand digital from Cinephobia Releasing on June 27. Check out Rent Free to see for yourself and find out why it’s considered a “festival darling.”