Rent-A-Pal

By: Amos Lassen

"RENT-A-PAL"

A Lonely Life

Amos Lassen

David (Brian Landis Folkins) has lived a lonely life for a long time and this is basically because he's a caregiver for his 73-year-old-mother (Kathleen Brady), who can't be left alone for long because her behavior can suddenly change. Even when she's doing well, she mistakes him for his dead brother and this compounds his feelings of loss. There are days when she can't hold a conversation at all. David just wants is somebody to talk to. One day he sees a tape in a bargain bin- Rent-A-Pal. David decides to try it out and begins talking to a stranger on tape and answers questions. A first, he feels silly but then feels that it's better than nothing. Slowly, something changes and he becomes more and more obsessed by the 'friendship' offered by Andy (Wil Wheaton), the man on the tape.

Writer/director Jon Stevenson keeps keeping us guessing as to what's going on. Something feels odd about the tape from the get-go, but by the time we're get hints that it might be something supernatural, David's mental health has begun to wear away. Professional caregiver Lisa (Amy Rutledge) warns that untrained people who become caregivers by accident do not get the space that they need to take care of themselves and that this can bring about crises of their own. We begin to wonder if this is what is happening to David, or is there something else going on.

David's life has been defined by women and this is new, dangerous territory for him. Andy awakens emotions that David doesn't know how to handle and his anger about this begins to show.

The film takes on the serious themes of mental health issues, depression and loneliness.David is a nerdy and socially awkward middle-aged man who finds himself terribly alone. After having a few drinks, he plays the tape and enters into a conversation with Andy and gets a sense that he has made a new friend. Soon a dating service sets him up with a date named Lisa (Amy Rutledge). She's a nurse and a volunteer at a nursing home and she admires David for caring for his mother. A love connection ensues and he shares this with Andy who feels that his friendship is being challenged by this. He bullies David into dropping Lisa. What happens after this is why you will have to see the film.