Rental Family

Director: Hikari

Phillip (Brendan Fraser) is an American actor living in Tokyo. Struggling for work he is hired by Rental Family, a company which provides actors to play stand-in family members and friends for strangers. While reluctant he takes the job and is soon put to work as a pretend Groom. He then moves on to longer term projects, including acting as an father to a young girl and as a journalist profiling a retired actor worried that he his work is been forgotten. As Philip becomes emotionally attached to his clients the line between acting and reality blurs. And when lines are crossed, there are real life consequences that puts the business and Philip’s life in Japan at risk

Rental Family, is a gentle and warm look at life. The premise is based on real Japanese Rental Family companies. It explores loneliness and the idea of what is and isn’t true about any relationships. It does all this as it meanders through its 110 minutes.

It’s a film that doesn’t ask too many hard questions, but it does poke at some interesting ones. Hikari looks at a culture where people would rather hire an actor than tackle a problem. But it also looks sympathetically at those who are alone, or need help and how a stranger, even one getting paid, can make a huge difference to someone’s life.

That’s where the film works for me, it is those little explorations of life and the memories we build. Shown beautifully In the relationship between Philip and the actor Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto), who is not only worried about being forgotten but worries he will forget those whose memory he keeps alive.

Brendan Fraser, is perfect in the central role. A tall ungainly American who never quite fits in, but wants to. He’s well supported, Shannon Mahina Gorman as the young girl Mia is convincing, as is Emoto, who is the film’s emotional heart.

Providing a thoughtful look at the pain of loneliness and the  difference a friendship can make.