In the new thriller ‘Rent Free’ by writer/director Lakisha R Lemons, a therapist with a dark past and a young hustler, cross paths and soon begin entangled in a web of lies, secrets and perhaps even murder.

Shayla (Brandy Specks), meets the cocky Marcus (De’Tuan Williams) in a random encounter and soon the charmimg young buck has become romantically involved with the therapist and ends up moving in with her. Is he who he says he is?? Is Shayla’s interest in him genuine, or is something more sinsiter behind her innocent affection??

Soon a battle of psychological games sets into motion as we learn more about Shayla’s past as a tragic encounter with her former supervisor helps bring into focus her ulterior motives and that even her relationship with her patients is called into question.

Lemons attempts a complex plot full of sexual abuse, the fine line between a therapist’s responsibilty to heal or influence their clients, and mental and physical trauma coming back to haunt the present.

Unfortunately, even with a clearly limited budget, the film constantly bites off more than it can chew as the narrative switches rapidly from drama, to romance, and thriller to horror in too short amount of time. This ends up with the viewer being just as confused as the unfortunate Marcus as Shayla goes so off the deep end so rapidly. Specks tries her best with a complicated role of victim and villian, but can’t deliver the dramatic chops as she veers wildly from rejected lover to full on pyscho mode (even with Joker like clown makeup) barking and snarling and evil villain laughing her way to a messy (and contrived) climax.

The cinematography is well done and the actors try their best with an uneven script, but ‘Rent Free’ unfortunately fails to leave the viewer rent free in their minds and into the easily forgotten section.

‘Rent Free’ is available now to rent/buy on Amazon Prime and Apple TV with a release on Tubi and You Tube August 4th.

An LL Productions, USA, 2026, 97 Mins.