Ben and Jordan, nomadic Gen Z best friends from Texas, are enjoying their scrappy days in New York City together and are quickly getting comfortable with the idea of permanently relocating there to pursue a life and career in the Big Apple. Those plans are quickly botched, however, when an outrageous indiscretion from Ben causes both of them to be kicked out of the friends’ apartment they were staying at — prompting them to fly back to Austin, where Jordan’s girlfriend Anna takes them in. Unfortunately for Ben and Jordan, Anna’s generosity is short-lived. One drunken evening, both friends make a pact: to treat this meandering “couch surfing” lifestyle as a social experiment and aim to take advantage of their friends’ hospitality to live an entire year without paying rent. Their quixotic plan, however, all too soon reveals itself to be a bit untenable… 

Tribeca alum Fernando Andres (Three Headed Beast, Tribeca 2022) returns to the festival with this breezy and light-on-its-feet comedy that effectively explores queer male friendship with thoughtful, emotional resonance and a raw vulnerability with its characters. Under Andres’ confident direction, Rent Free foregrounds complicated characters (self-centered and endearing in equal measure) with effortless humor and sharp comedic timing.––Jose Rodriguez

Fernando Andrés