chong_an

Ali and Amir are fraternal twin brothers whose mother died in childbirth. They are living with, and working for, an "uncle", a fisherman and fish processor on the Malaysia seaside. Ali somewhat takes care of Amir, who speaks only in English names of animals, for which they are bullied by schoolmates. They seem to have a telepathic link, with their playing a game of matching bottle caps blindfold.

Their father is distant, only using them in his dubious schemes. An early scene has him directing them to illegally pick durian fruit, mentioning that the best are known as "the fox king'. A new English teacher arrives - a prodigal daughter who really prefers to be elsewhere. Both are enamored with her, which leads to a rivalry. This is despite the teacher having a relationship with another teaher.

I saw this film at the World Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, with director, cast, and producer Q+A. The director has an identical twin, which inspired this story about twins. His name-checking of Toronto and Tokyo is due to him and his brother having connections there.

I am mildly disappointed that the English class is not conducted in English, given that the students are proficient enough for the teacher to offer them books to read, with Amir (the only student to accept) picking up Animal Farm.

This is a film about love and relationship, but the raunchiness means that it is not for everyone. François and Julie are a long-time Montreal married couple with 2 schoool-age daughters. They have separate professions, love one another, but their sex life has gone stale. Inspired by their younger friends, they decide to go to an open relationship sexually.

Even as they start by meeting other swinger couples, it is obvious the two are reacting to the situation differently. They then exploring independently, sometimes going to sex clubs and sex parties. They learn about being open sexually while still being committed, When they find that their sexual turn-ons are different, they have to find ways to reconcile and work together, as per the name of the final "chapter".

At its heart, this is a decent film about a committed relationship, though with a wild ride thru a series of sexual situations.

I saw this film at the North American Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, with director, cast, and producer Q+A. The sex scenes were rehearsed (clothes on) before the cameras arrived, though there was one mishap that required a later reshoot. Shooting on filrm meant that the action was more urgent, like a stage show, since they could not afford many reshoots. Meanwhile, "their daughters" were sisters in real life, and were encouraged to ad lib, likely leading to a more authentic reaction than could be scripted by an adult.

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.