The One on Rent (the movie)

For any modern musical fans, you should have heard of Jonathan Larson's Rent. Sotongball is not those atas and civilized type who attend all these productions in the Esplanade, (though he had the privillege to perform in the concert hall numerous times) but he does enjoy a couple of good cinematized encores of musical productions.

Sotongball first chanced upon Rent's Seasons of Love in his college choir farewell practice. The intro never fails to captivate you right at the start:

link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Py_HRW-zg6k

Then, like any gay man with good taste, STB's soon-to-be-ex housemate has a vast collection of non-porno gay materials. So on a bored Sunday afternoon, STB decided to borrow his Rent DVD.

Rent reminds me of the camaraderie in the sitcom series Friends, it talks about the lives of 8 friends staying in modern New York City. Instead of the hehe hahas all the way, Rent encompasses a darker tone with bunch of outcast characters.

The story touches on the harsh reality of life. From the fear of eviction (we know how burdensome rents can be when we live outside), to being a carrier of HIV/AIDS from drug abuse. In the midst of all this abyss, it is comforting to watch the characters not living in despair and whine about their sad sad lives. But they are filled with hope and even the motivation the make a song out of every situation (duh, it's called a musical...)

People like us will love this movie for the fact that it features two homosexual couples, two men with AIDS, 1 black + 1 drag queen); and a bisexual slut with her Harvard grad lawyer girlfriend. Their relationships are quite apparently not the perfect happy-ending ones but one that most of us can identify with: tolerance for your bf's compulsive behavior, acceptance for who your other half is and sticking together no matter how bad the current situation is.

Besides, the soundtracks in the movie are quite listenable and each fits into the mood of different scenes nicely. STB's favorite soundtracks from the movie includes: Seasons of Love, No Day but Today, I Should Tell You and I'll Cover You.

In conclusion, Rent touches on many aspects of emotions. For sure, it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Nonetheless, if you're interested in watching the movie or listening to the soundtracks, do feel free to drop STB a message.