I have mixed feelings about the movie, Rent(2005). I liked the message and purpose of the events of the musical. The message of the musical appears to be one of love and acceptance. The diversity of the situations of the characters show this message. For example, Angel, Collins, Maureen, and Joanne represent the LGBTQ+ community. The film spreads a message of acceptance, especially taking place in the 80s during the AIDS crisis. Early in the film, Angel enters Mark and Roger’s apartment dressed as a woman and putting on a show. The two are not taken by surprised by this, but we see that others in the area are. Mark mentions that Angel approached a couple of tourists from out of town. The tourists looked upon him in shock, but despite their looks, Angel gave them directions and took a picture with them. Another aspect of this message of acceptance is the treatment of characters with AIDS. At the time of the AIDS crisis, people stigmatized the disease to the point that people would not want to touch or breathe the same air as a person with AIDS. In the film, the characters embrace those with AIDS just as they do the others. The overarching theme of love is carried throughout the whole film. Relationships between characters like Roger and Mimi, Joanne and Maureen, and Collins and Angel kept the theme relevant. Throughout the film, these characters professed their love or managed rough patches through song. The only issue I had with the film is that the characters were given very little backstory and that some events in the movie went unexplained or under-explained. Examples of little backstory are Mark, Roger, and Angel. The audience is not told about Mark’s passion for film, nor his reason for filming, until quite a bit into the film. Roger’s subplot seems to go unfinished when the audience finds out he is trying to get back into music and is writing a song, but this idea does not seem to be completed by the end of the film. Finally, Angel appears as a street performer (who appears male) who goes to help Collins when he is injured. In Angel’s next appearance, the audience sees a woman wearing a Santa coat. There is no explanation to the audience for this change. In terms of unexplained or under-explained events, I think of Mimi’s apparent overdose (I think). The film hints at a possible drug addiction, causing shivers and sweats many times. It is also referenced that she has AIDS as well. Many times, in relation to Mimi, the drug AZT is discussed. This drug is used to prevent and stifle the effects of AIDS. During the last scene, she seemingly dies but later comes back to life. This event is not explained and was rather confusing at the time. Overall, I liked the film. However, there were a couple of small issues when it comes to characters.