In a world where avocado toast costs $14 and your landlord thinks a broken AC is a “character-building experience,” writer-director Fernando Andrés serves up the fantasy we didn’t know we needed: living rent free—literally.
Andrés, whose queer-centric debut Three Headed Beast turned heads at Tribeca in 2022, returns with his sophomore film Rent Free, a cheeky yet tender buddy dramedy about best friends Ben and Jordan who, after spectacularly bottoming out emotionally and financially, hatch a plan to couch-surf their way across Austin, Texas for an entire year. The goal? Avoid rent, heal their wounds, and maybe find something that feels like home (without the monthly invoice).
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The film premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, snagged two encore screenings, and has been on a world tour of the queerest and coolest festivals—from BFI Flare in London to Frameline in San Francisco and even São Paulo. That’s not just an itinerary—it’s a stamp of approval from the international gay agenda.
Now, just in time for Pride Month, Rent Free is coming home. Cinephobia Releasing will debut the film across North America on June 27 via VOD and digital platforms. It’s the perfect date night watch—whether you’re curled up with your partner, situationship, or your own inner child who never felt quite cool enough for queer indie cinema.
“Fernando Andrés expertly crafts an endearing tale of two men just trying to find their way in the world,” said Cinephobia President Raymond Murray. “Between its stylistic charm, intriguing characters, and fresh look at young adulthood, this film is sure to make an impact.”
And impact it does. Rent Free is charming without being cloying, funny without forcing it, and devastating in the way only true friendship dramas can be—especially when they come laced with that particular queer ache of found family, crushed dreams, and starting over again (and again). Think Frances Ha meets Broad City but with more queer melancholy and fewer manic pixie dream girls.
Ben and Jordan are played by Jacob Roberts and David Treviño, with standout performances by Zeke Goodman (Cruel Intentions), Sarah J. Bartholomew (The Chosen), and Temple Baker (Everybody Wants Some!!). You’ll fall in love with all of them and want to crash on their couches—if they haven’t already crashed on yours.
“I am thrilled for Rent Free to be released in theaters and on streaming for it to find its audience beyond the festival world,” said Andrés. “And it is a great privilege to be working with a distributor like Cinephobia that is willing to champion true independent cinema in a challenging American film market that, despite a growing culture of adventurous young cinephiles, is affording fewer and fewer opportunities for low-budget productions and queer stories to be seen.”
Andrés speaks the truth. As streaming platforms consolidate and queer content gets shuffled to the margins (or worse, quietly canceled), Rent Free is a reminder that sometimes the scrappiest stories are the ones with the most heart. This film doesn’t just ask how to survive without paying rent—it dares to ask what we owe each other in times of collapse, and who gets to dream when the dream feels like it’s already been foreclosed.
So mark your calendars for June 27. Queue it up, pour a glass of wine, and text your ex-roommate who still owes you $300 for utilities. Rent Free is here to make you laugh, cry, and maybe call your best friend just to say, “Thanks for the couch. And the memories.”
Rent Free is available on VOD and digital platforms starting June 27 via Cinephobia Releasing. Grab your chosen family, steal your ex’s Hulu password, and prepare to feel seen