Having Faith in Friends
Last weekend when I saw the movie "RENT" I kept thinking about the lack of religion in a movie with so much faith. Of course there are some references to Jesus, as part of the movie takes place on Christmas Eve, and Mark mentions how a rabbi's daughter taught him to dance at his Bar Mitzvah. However, more importantly is the underlying theme of having faith in others.
The movie (and play) follows a group of eight friends over the course of a year. We learn about their loves and losses and the compassion for each other. The group is made up of men and women from different races, backgrounds and sexual orientations. Four of them have AIDS and many have drug addictions. They are from all walks of life, but together they form a support group for one another. They are all loyal and encouraging. When Mimi drops out of drug rehab her friends seach all over the city hoping to find and rescue her. Mimi, Angel, Collins and Roger attend a support group for AIDS patients and Mark often goes with them merely for moral support (and to work on his documentary). They all have faith in each other based on love, trust and friendship. It is their friends who ultimately save them. They do not need any form of religion to bind them together--they just need each other. In fact, when one of the characters dies, even though the funeral is held in a church, there is no specific clergy present and no religions or spiritual concerns are addressed.
Rent shows us that people can have faith in others, and in themselves, without being an active member of a religious group. What is important for these people is that they have faith in one another and have their friends to depend on, not any sort of spiritual leader or higher being.
The movie (and play) follows a group of eight friends over the course of a year. We learn about their loves and losses and the compassion for each other. The group is made up of men and women from different races, backgrounds and sexual orientations. Four of them have AIDS and many have drug addictions. They are from all walks of life, but together they form a support group for one another. They are all loyal and encouraging. When Mimi drops out of drug rehab her friends seach all over the city hoping to find and rescue her. Mimi, Angel, Collins and Roger attend a support group for AIDS patients and Mark often goes with them merely for moral support (and to work on his documentary). They all have faith in each other based on love, trust and friendship. It is their friends who ultimately save them. They do not need any form of religion to bind them together--they just need each other. In fact, when one of the characters dies, even though the funeral is held in a church, there is no specific clergy present and no religions or spiritual concerns are addressed.
Rent shows us that people can have faith in others, and in themselves, without being an active member of a religious group. What is important for these people is that they have faith in one another and have their friends to depend on, not any sort of spiritual leader or higher being.
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