Family Romance, LLC

The film is a bit slow in places and there are some boring bits, but the concept itself is interesting. A man has an company who rents substitutes for fathers, businessmen, etc. He begins forming a relationship with the daughter of a wealthy, Yuri Kagami-esque woman who is a divorced widow, by pretending to be her father. Unfortunately it goes against his own company policy. Will he tell Mahiro the truth or become her actual father? The last few minutes of the film are the best. There's a little bit of insight into Japanese racism, as Mahiro befriends a little girl for having dark skin.

The photography is beautiful. The vistas of Tokyo are stunning. It's definitely worth watching.

...you will not understand how 'real' this film is. It may appear banal or even boring if you don't appreciate how sensitive the Japanese are. For a society and culture as creative as Japan, the idea you would like to have someone who could 'fill in the gaps' in your life is quite possible. Werner Herzog was apparently influenced by an article in the NYT. I haven't read the article but I will try to find it, it is probably as interesting as the film. Wonderful images and roles.

BTW, if you haven't visited Japan, put it on you list of things to do, if possible.

It's been a while since I haven't heard about Werner Herzog. And now, this. Do Japanese people hire fake fathers or other friends? I wouldn't know. Do they travel long distances to consult with an oracle woman? I wouldn't know either. Is there an emergent industry of pretending you're dead, in order to see what it's like? How could I know? Are robots likely to take over from humans in ways we can't fathom yet? For sure. Can we pretend to fight without weapons? Absolutely. Do we need to save face in various situations? You can bet on it. Would we hire someone to take the blame and prosternate to the boss's feet instead of us? Don't answer no; you'd be lying. Stark interiors, formal attitudes, rigid dialogues- and a world of turmoil within. Is it reality? Is it a nearing, ominous future? Is it Japan? Is it not? Who cares, it's a good film. Who would have thought in 2019 that we would be quarantined globally in 2021? And yes, somewhere in south-east Asia I witnessed a situation in which two young men fell on their knees in front of an older guy- presumably their employer- and showed their deepest remorse and practically kissed his feet in public; they didn't stand up before the man touched their shoulders. Not a scene for European eyes.

The Wind Phone is a phone booth in Japan which people use to hold conversations with their loved ones lost in the tsunami of 2011. Here Herzog puts a woman on a cliff facing the ocean and gives her a receiver. "Did you speak with someone dead?, they ask her after she hangs up. "No. I tried instead to reach someone alive", she answers and you immediately recognize your communication with the living is as one-way as this. The existential solitude of modern man is on focus in this fine drama telling the invented story of a very real company called Family Romance which rents out actors to fill the gaps in our interpersonal relations.

"Family Romance is admirable. I think it's an incredible company. You create illusions to make life of your clients better. That should make you feel good. That's really praiseworthy, isn't it?"

"At Family Romance, we are not allowed to love or to be loved. So, I need to be more careful... this time, you should rent a death."

Google will tell you more regarding "Family Rental Service".

A most fascinating and thought provoking business model that I highly recommend we adopt in this country. I would love to work for a family rental service. The closest thing we have to it here is those third party matching websites like rent a friend and rent a date. Not quite the same thing as making a career out of an admirable business the way they show here.

Docudrama style but fictional, making it almost a mockumentary but not quite? Little slow in parts, compensated by beautiful cinematography, almost like a mini travelogue.