Commentary: Brian Landis Folkins delivers a mesmerizing performance as David in the new, creepy, thriller, RENT-A-PAL. This pre-internet drama uses the era of VCR’s and tape dates as a backdrop for awkward loneliness as one man is driven to the edge of reality. (continued below)
Synopsis: Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.
Rent-A-Pal (2020)
1h 48min | Horror, Thriller | 11 September 2020 | UR for mature audiences | Available on all streaming platforms
(continued) I was worried this was going to be some spooky head trip, ghost in the machine type story. One where the alpha person on TV comes alive to manipulate the weaker man. It is much more clever than that though. Instead it allows the unstable mind of its main character to drive the narrative. David’s perception of reality becomes so blurred that the show he is watching seems to be conforming to his current needs, and this motivates his actions.
Folkins carries the entire 90+ minutes and never once does he show any lapse in delivery. You can look for cracks in his performance but you will be hard pressed to find any. You feel for this guy and his situation. He is a good guy and we want the good guy to come out on top. The direction and writing is smart too. Andy – the fictional guy on tape – becomes a vital character. His dialogue never changes but with editing what we see and what David watches makes the conversations different every time. It is the perfect example of taking things out of one context and putting them in another to totally alter the emotion and interpretation.
I enjoyed this film a lot mainly because it was nothing like what I expected. It surprised me in a good way. The film relies on a few main characters and an image on the TV screen; and it succeeds. I give it a B grade for the performance of Folkins and the ability of writer/director Jon Stevenson to deliver a story that is awkward, creepy, and emotional.
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