Céline Roustan
After trying the “roommate thing”, a young college graduate enters the battle to find a place she can afford in NYC. When she eventually finds a studio that meets her criteria, she’s left wondering if it’s too good to be true and whether she will actually be alone. With The Price of Cheap Rent, directors Amina Sutton and Maya Tanaka play with the codes of documentary and comedy to craft a witty mockumentary that subverts expectations with its depth, sharpness and satirical tone.
Anyone who is currently living in a big city, anywhere in the world, and thinking about moving knows that it’s the Hunger Games out there to find a place. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the fight for decent accommodation that was the starting point for The Price of Cheap Rent, with Tanaka sharing with us that it instead began when Sutton was researching the history of Brooklyn. “Who was here? Why? What does that mean for the history of the space and the echoes of people who formerly lived here?” These were the questions that actually lead them (especially Sutton, who also wrote and stars in the film) to pen the screenplay. By attempting to answer this line of inquiry through the presence of ghosts in their short, the house hunting ends up being the entry point to the narrative, but it’s the universality that immediately draws the audience in.
The comedy in The Price of Cheap Rent is remarkably efficient with both Sutton’s impeccable writing and delivery giving the film its perfect satirical tone. As a film, it can easily be appreciated at that level, but as a viewer, you begin to understand there’s something much more complex at work as the whole reflection on gentrification subtly settles in. Bed-Stuy, in NYC, is a historically black neighborhood, and the way Sutton’s character walks us through its history is instantly compelling, while also working as a parallel to the short’s central character – a young Black creative trying to make it in the city. The satirical layer then begins to combine with genre elements and the early efficiency expands into a fresh, new take that’s much more nuanced and compelling.
Along with co-directing the film, Amina Sutton also stars as the film’s central character.
“The story itself is about figuring out how to navigate a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood and city, the struggles of creating art, and in this case, a community of ghosts”, the directors explain as they discuss their aims for The Price of Cheap Rent. The pair really bring it all together by focusing their film on protagonist who shares her story. Mockumentary is definitely not a genre I enjoy, but in this case it is used creatively to drive a carefully crafted story. Between the weight of history, race and the creative process, they find a way to touch on these topics with humor and intelligence and blend styles, with the use of social media and live recordings, to build a kinship between the audience and the protagonist.
Sutton also deserves an extra round of applause for stepping in as the lead character, in the eleventh hour, when the original actress backed out. As previously mentioned, her delivery and the commitment to “the bit” are incredible. Whether it’s in talking head interviews, when the camera follows her around during her day, or in those social media posts, she perfectly builds this fictional character and invites us into her life, and its supernatural elements, while shedding new light on gentrification.
The Price of Cheap Rent was shot in August 2019, completed in the early days of the pandemic and had its premiere at the 2020 edition of TIFF. It went on to be selected at multiple festivals including Aspen ShortsFest, before premiering online through the New Yorker. If you enjoyed their short, you’ll be happy to hear the pair already have new films to check out, with Tanaka’s Honolulu currently touring festival and Sutton’s Beach Floaty Thingys in post and looking to premiere in the new year.