Rent
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Rosario Dawson, Trace Thoms, Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Taye Diggs
This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of friends struggling to survive in modern day East Village, New York. The story follows Mark, Collins, and Roger, three down on their luck roommates, who find love in unexpected places. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make his documentary, and Collins finds love in the arms of Angel. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern-day life in one truly incendiary story.
Love is a powerful theme in this film, nowhere does it shine more brightly than in each of the different characters, and in this journey, they take that is not only a celebration of love, but also the friendship which binds them together as a family. It is truly a love story; one that illustrates all the seasons of love…when love is born and struggling like a fragile candle flame trying to stay alight through the darkest moments (with Mimi and Roger) and especially when love proves strong in the darkest moments of loneliness and pain (with Collins and his beautiful Angel). It is a worthy love story.
The love that was shared between Angel and her beloved Collins is the very definition of true love; a love worth fighting for, and a love that will survive all of life’s dark storms and lonely moments. In their song "I'll Cover You", the lyrics are a tender promise of how they will always be there to love and protect each other. This promise is illustrated in how Angel was there for Collins after he was attacked in the street. She comforted him and brought him home out of the snow. Collins returned Angel’s love by accepting her for the beautiful and unique soul that she is. His love for Angel shines brightly as they are singing their song together for the first time. Collins expresses his love to Angel by holding her and keeping her warm when she is sick and by comforting her when she is dying from AIDS. When they are at Angel's funeral, Collin’s sings their song to her again...and once again, the song illustrates the deep and perfect love that entwines them; made even more poignant as we hear Collin's love, mingled with his heartbreaking grief, in each lyric that he sings to her. I think for Angel… (and for Collins as well) she never lost her dignity, because she had love. She was cherished and protected, both by Collins and by her friends, who became her family. In the end, Angel found peace in death because of the love that was shown to her in life.
The love shared between Roger and Mimi is like her candle. When Roger and Mimi first meet, she brings him a candle and asks him to light it for her...but the candle's flame keeps being extinguished, until all the matches are spent. Like the candle, when their love is alive, it shines brightly like the candle flame. Their love is beautiful. But when they go through their season of darkness and pain, when Mimi is struggling with her drug addiction and suffering the crippling agony of AIDS and drug withdrawals, Roger tries to make their love endure, but unlike Collins and Angel, the love that was born between Roger and Mimi is not strong enough to endure the darkness and the candle flame is soon extinguished. In the end, when Mimi is in her darkest moment, Roger tries his best to save Mimi from her addiction. He searches for Mimi when she goes missing, and he’s the one to comfort her when she finally comes home. And it is the wise and beautiful Angel - whose love is so deeply heartfelt and so beautiful that everyone whose life she touched was changed by it - who reaches down from Heaven and tells Mimi to go back to Roger and let their love shine once more.
I have been writing for nine years now. Often, as I sit down to write a film critique, I will have some idea of what I want to say going into the movie. Sometimes, the movie reveals its secrets to me as I watch it. I am currently reviewing the movie Rent, and my experience is...deeply emotional. The casting for this movie is flawless. I can’t imagine any other actor filling these roles…especially for Wilson Jermaine Heredia who shines as Angel. The story is deeply heartfelt and rings with an unvarnished and sincerely emotional truth, and the songs add another deep and intricate layer of emotion to the story that illustrates the love that is at the story’s heart. Rent truly is a celebration of love in all its many forms, and I love it.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Rosario Dawson, Trace Thoms, Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Taye Diggs
This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of friends struggling to survive in modern day East Village, New York. The story follows Mark, Collins, and Roger, three down on their luck roommates, who find love in unexpected places. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make his documentary, and Collins finds love in the arms of Angel. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern-day life in one truly incendiary story.
Love is a powerful theme in this film, nowhere does it shine more brightly than in each of the different characters, and in this journey, they take that is not only a celebration of love, but also the friendship which binds them together as a family. It is truly a love story; one that illustrates all the seasons of love…when love is born and struggling like a fragile candle flame trying to stay alight through the darkest moments (with Mimi and Roger) and especially when love proves strong in the darkest moments of loneliness and pain (with Collins and his beautiful Angel). It is a worthy love story.
The love that was shared between Angel and her beloved Collins is the very definition of true love; a love worth fighting for, and a love that will survive all of life’s dark storms and lonely moments. In their song "I'll Cover You", the lyrics are a tender promise of how they will always be there to love and protect each other. This promise is illustrated in how Angel was there for Collins after he was attacked in the street. She comforted him and brought him home out of the snow. Collins returned Angel’s love by accepting her for the beautiful and unique soul that she is. His love for Angel shines brightly as they are singing their song together for the first time. Collins expresses his love to Angel by holding her and keeping her warm when she is sick and by comforting her when she is dying from AIDS. When they are at Angel's funeral, Collin’s sings their song to her again...and once again, the song illustrates the deep and perfect love that entwines them; made even more poignant as we hear Collin's love, mingled with his heartbreaking grief, in each lyric that he sings to her. I think for Angel… (and for Collins as well) she never lost her dignity, because she had love. She was cherished and protected, both by Collins and by her friends, who became her family. In the end, Angel found peace in death because of the love that was shown to her in life.
The love shared between Roger and Mimi is like her candle. When Roger and Mimi first meet, she brings him a candle and asks him to light it for her...but the candle's flame keeps being extinguished, until all the matches are spent. Like the candle, when their love is alive, it shines brightly like the candle flame. Their love is beautiful. But when they go through their season of darkness and pain, when Mimi is struggling with her drug addiction and suffering the crippling agony of AIDS and drug withdrawals, Roger tries to make their love endure, but unlike Collins and Angel, the love that was born between Roger and Mimi is not strong enough to endure the darkness and the candle flame is soon extinguished. In the end, when Mimi is in her darkest moment, Roger tries his best to save Mimi from her addiction. He searches for Mimi when she goes missing, and he’s the one to comfort her when she finally comes home. And it is the wise and beautiful Angel - whose love is so deeply heartfelt and so beautiful that everyone whose life she touched was changed by it - who reaches down from Heaven and tells Mimi to go back to Roger and let their love shine once more.
I have been writing for nine years now. Often, as I sit down to write a film critique, I will have some idea of what I want to say going into the movie. Sometimes, the movie reveals its secrets to me as I watch it. I am currently reviewing the movie Rent, and my experience is...deeply emotional. The casting for this movie is flawless. I can’t imagine any other actor filling these roles…especially for Wilson Jermaine Heredia who shines as Angel. The story is deeply heartfelt and rings with an unvarnished and sincerely emotional truth, and the songs add another deep and intricate layer of emotion to the story that illustrates the love that is at the story’s heart. Rent truly is a celebration of love in all its many forms, and I love it.
© 2021 Keriane Kellogg