An Auckland man endures a gauntlet of disastrous flatting situations in this silent horror- comedy film for the rental generation.
The Ungrateful Tenant 2026
New Zealand horror has given us cannibal stoners, suburban vampires, carnivorous sheep and ghost sharks. But The Ungrateful Tenant introduces something far more frightening. Emerging from the deepest pits of capitalist hell comes the ultimate terror: landlords, real estate agents and bad flatmates.
After a frustrated millennial renter kicks out his problematic flattie, he suddenly finds himself unable to keep up with the rent and out on the street searching for a new place to live. Thrust into the chaotic absurdity of Auckland's rental market, he navigates a series of idyllic dream scenarios that quickly descend into living nightmares. As he struggles to find a suitable home, he must fight for his rights and his sanity in a world stacked against him.
Using his own experience as a renter as inspiration, writer, director and star, Conor Bowden (The Flat) uses filmic language from a century past to illuminate New Zealand's contemporary housing crisis. Combining classic slapstick comedy with expressionist tinged cinematography, The Ungrateful Tenant creates something not just unique to New Zealand or silent cinema, but something that stands entirely on its own.
– Jordan Salomen.