Rent

Rent (2005) is Chris Columbus's musical drama you can watch online on iFILM — the screen version of Jonathan Larson's landmark Broadway show, which reworked Puccini's La Bohème into the broke, freezing East Village of the late 1980s.

The story follows one year among a circle of young artists, musicians and dancers sharing a rundown loft and wondering how they'll cover next month's rent. Roger, a former rock songwriter, can't write a note after losing his girlfriend and learning he's HIV-positive. His roommate Mark films a documentary about their lives. Around them orbit dancer Mimi, performance artist Maureen and her lawyer Joanne, street philosopher Tom Collins and his love, the drag performer Angel. Their old friend Benny has bought the building and dropped his promise to let them live rent-free — so eviction hangs over everyone.

Most of the cast came straight from the original Broadway production: Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Idina Menzel, joined here by Rosario Dawson. Numbers like "Seasons of Love" took on a life of their own. It's a story about friendship, love and living under the shadow of AIDS, built on one idea — there's no day but today. Stream Rent (2005) online on iFILM.