New Year’s Films 8 – Rent

We’ve been looking at films set at New Year’s to help determine how that holiday can play into a story—and thus help you as you write your own film that might involve New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

This week, we’re going to look at a film that began life as a Broadway musical. It’s called Rent [2005] and it was by Stephen Chbosky. The play, written by Jonathan Larson, which won the Pulitzer Prize, is spectacular. The movie? Not as good—but still worth looking at. Here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGciEYSshrQ

As you can see from the party at the end, they’re celebrating New Year’s. And like Bridget Jones’s Diary, the film spans a full year, from New Year’s to New Year’s. There’s even a song about what can happen in a year.

Now, I’m not encouraging you to write a musical—far from it. Talk about something that’s almost impossible to get bought, let alone made. But I think both the premise, the construct and the characters in this film are worth looking at.

Starting with characters, roommates Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, and Roger, a musician and former junkie, both struggle with love. They each love someone who probably won’t work out, but they each still love. Roger, like many of the other characters in the film, is also HIV positive so has an extra layer to deal with.

So much love between the characters in this film is unrequited… but hey, that kind of angst often produces the best love stories. If it was all easy, it wouldn’t have enough conflict to BE a movie or a play.

In addition to Mark and Roger, the film is populated with an interesting group of Bohemians who live in the Village—kind of a loose take on the opera La Bohème. And they all hang out together—which provides a nice construct for the action of the film.

But the premise, to keep in line with our New Year’s explorations, is about what happens in the year between two New Year’s parties—similar to Bridget. But, of course, in tone, it’s nothing like Bridget.

One of the things that makes the story resonate is this idea of what it takes to be a creative person in the world and how you have to deal with obstacles that just don’t seem fair. So for any creative soul, I think the story resonates. And in the midst of all of that, you have to also find love… which is hard when the object of your affections seems not to be interested in you.

This is a complex film, but I think it’s worth a look to examine some of these elements of its storytelling. Maybe they can inspire you if you want to create your own New Year’s to New Year’s storyline.

Next week… more in New York City… but with almost no angst!

Copyright © Diane Lake

13Feb22

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com