Rental Family

We saw this at TIFF, including a great Q&A with the director afterward. Brendan Fraser is fantastic, as are several of the Japanese actors. The basic premise - that people can be rented to act as substitute friends or family - was shocking to us but is evidently a real part of Japanese culture. While there are numerous minor story arcs, two main ones are each quite compelling; one involving a fatherless girl, and another a fading old man. Their stories will make you both smile and weep.

The concept is really intriguing given some of us go through life longing to feel a certain way and never having the chance to!

The movie is an affectionate journey through Japan following Phillip, passionately portrayed by Brandon Frasier; a lonesome American actor struggling to find his next big break.

It had so many beautiful moment, I just felt I needed to sit with some of it before moving on to the next shot or sequence. Jonsi's music heightens the film's heart warmth and uplift. Highly recommended.

Brendan Fraser plays an American actor who has been living in Tokyo for 7 years. His career has not been a success, doing things like toothpaste commercials. A chance gig has him connected with Rental Family, a business that rents out fake family members, friends, apologetic mistresses, etc. There are roles that specifically require a white man. His 1st official task is to play bridegroom, getting married to a young woman, who then can leave her family, ostensibly to go with him to Canada, but in fact for her to be with her lesbian lover.

In between other short-term roles, a couple of several-weeks continuing roles come up. One is to be a friend to an aging actor, under cover of being a journalist who wants to write his life story. Another is to play the long-lost father of a young girl, whose mother is trying to get into a good school, but believes that a single parent will not be acceptable. In both cases, the hiring client is not the subject of the relationship, so his acting skills are called upon. However, he gets emotionally attached, and complications ensue.

I saw this film at the World Premiere series of screenings at Toronto International Film Festival, with director Q+A. It seems that rental families are a real business in Japan, especially in Tokyo, where people are lonely, and psychotherapy is not easily available and socially disdained. Some businesses specialize in particular aspects, while others (like in the film) are generalists. Also, there are shrines around Tokyo, where, for a small offering, strangers can go to pray and meditate.

The situations are heartfelt, and Fraser does a good job playing the actor who is conflicted by playing a fake role in real people's lives. Recommended for those who are interested in a glimpse of the underbelly of Japanese culture.

As someone less familiar with Japanese filmography beyond a watch of the recent hit, Shogun, this was refreshingly different, but not in an unapproachable way; the friendly face of Brendan Fraser provides an instant point of recognition for westerners such as myself. Throughout this two-hour journey, the audience are given insight into the many joys and throws of modern Japanese culture, whether it comes from cleverly written emotional dialogue or visual cues such as the Monster Cat Festival - yet the film is far from an oversimplification of modern Japan - as Takehiro Hira says in an opening sequence, you could live in Tokyo for 100s of years and still not uncover all of its secrets. Director Hikari builds upon this cultural foundation with a poignant and hilarious emotional odyssey, featuring gut-wrenching moments of pain juxtaposed by much needed comedic relief. Neither sides are done cheaply - although the plot is generally predictable, it does not need to be complex; the writing is intelligent enough by itself. I thoroughly look forward to the film's general release, when I will be attending again for a second viewing!

It was going to happen at some point that someone turns this real life industry into a major film. The Japanese rental family introduces all kinds of moral issues.

Brendan Fraser's Philip is a struggling American actor in Tokyo. He doesn't buy into being a fake husband, father, journalist, or friend easily. He properly conveys the moral weight of the rental family while making the best of this situation.

This is potentially heavy material, Yes people's lives are affected, often for the better and sometimes for the worse, but it's handled in a lighthearted engaging way.

It may feel cliché the way things ultimately unravel but this is a smartly made film that leaves you with something to think about.