Family Romance, LLC

...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.

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.

An opportunity to witness Herzog's perfectly refined, and yet somewhat awkward style. Whilst the movie isn't riveting in a classical sense, the slow and constant rhythm draws us in.

There is a constant, permeating tension throughout the movie between reality and imitation. I found myself questioning this paradigm on two levels: To what extent is this movie a documentary? To what extent do the characters realistically portray family members?

As for the first question, the lines are extremely blurry. A family renting industry is known to exist, and Yuichi Ishii (the actor) is known to be the founder of one such company. Ishii claims the relationships throughout the movie are based on reality, but the New Yorker claims him to be unreliable. Nevertheless, the question itself is important and creates an uneasy tension as it plays and forth in our heads.

Ishii is clearly the standout in a cast of amateur actors. His performance is sensitive, realistic and almost paradoxically satirical (at times). He carries the story through to an emotional climax that poses yet more questions.

Herzog consistently uses complex metaphors and strong symbolism and a lot of the spiritual discourse of the movie can be found outside its dialogue (perhaps the result of Herzog directing in a second language).

In conclusion, give it a watch. It's a beautiful introduction to Herzog and will leave you with more questions posed than answered.

An interpretation of the deceptive world we increasingly inhabit, as an agency provides surrogates for just about anything you fancy. Performed as a convincing faux documentary in Japan - robots next. Imagine how deplorable and low the human race will be able to sink then and you'll never be arrested.

"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.