Rental Family, 2025.
Written and Directed by Hikari.
Starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto, Paolo Andrea Di Pietro, Shinji Ozeki, Yuji Komatsu, Ryoko Osada, Gan Furukawa, Risa Kameda, Kana Kitty, Yuma Sonan, Nihi, and Shino Shinozaki.
SYNOPSIS:
An American actor in Tokyo struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality.
In Japan, there are oddball services that allow one to employ someone to play a role in their life or family. That’s the relatively cinematically unexplored concept of writer/director Hikari’s sophomore narrative feature Rental Family (the name of the service in the film), which, unsurprisingly, offers several ideas for further exploration. Some restraint and focus likely would have helped, considering that by the end, except for Brendan Fraser’s struggling actor who has made Japan his home, none of these characters are explored in any depth, and they merely serve as tools to manipulate the audience into crying emotionally.
It is somewhat maddening how often the film tries to raise the stakes from an emotional standpoint in the second half, as the whole narrative started to have the opposite effect on this critic and collapsed. The only element holding it together is the admittedly outstanding ensemble, led by a terrifically sincere Brendan Fraser, who is almost enough to overcome the structural and supporting character failings around him.
His Philip (who adopts a new identity with each client and scenario) is understandably apprehensive before joining the service, despite desperately needing work. This is a service that, on its face, sounds like it could be used for much more harm than good. However, his opinion is gradually swayed by the outcome of a façade marriage he takes part in, which allows the fake bride to run off to Canada with her girlfriend and live a life together, with her homophobic family under the impression that she is living in the heteronormative traditional housewife role that is expected of her. Yes, there is deception, but everyone is happy, and an oppressed person gets to live the life they want.
Philip’s next role is much more ethically questionable: a mother (Shino Shinozaki) with a rebellious daughter (Shannon Mahina Gorman, also fluent in English) believes that if she can reconnect Mia with her father, perhaps it will straighten her behavior out enough to pass an exam and be enrolled in a prestigious school that comes with several beneficial future opportunities. For Philip, the job is to be Kevin, Mia’s estranged father, who has a change of heart and returns to her life. Naturally, Mia is guarded, and Philip considers drawing the line before even taking on the job. Regarding the latter, that’s because the role involves the actor to make a promise that he will never leave Mia again, even though after three weeks and the exam is taken, the job will be fulfilled, and he will be inventing a story forcing him to return to America, essentially leaving the girl abandoned once more.
For as sweet as it is watching Philip/Kevin earn Mia’s trust, become involved in her schooling, and take her to places such as something called a Monster Cat Festival (a visually resplendent and colorful ceremonial parade, adding to the already existing beauty of Japanese sights and sounds on display) where the two of them wear themed-costumes for the occasion and paint their faces one can’t help but wonder why on earth the mother believes that this is a sound idea that might not potentially break their trust completely and leave her scarred down the road. Even if Mia does improve in school, what guarantee is there that it will stay once this false father leaves again, or, worse, she finds out the truth and doubles down on tensions between her and her mother? It is a baffling plan that never leaves room to get the mother’s perspective (her character doesn’t even get a name) since the narrative is centered on Philip.
That entails other roles Philip is fulfilling, such as providing company for a lonely, elderly actor (Akira Emoto), or becoming increasingly worried about the “apology” roles women find themselves tasked with. There are also scenes involving the various service employees and the ups and downs of their lives, as well as another subplot where Philip regularly sees and pays a woman to nurse his loneliness. And even though the film is critical of this service for some of the humiliating things women find themselves doing, the situation between Philip, Mia, and her mom is wrapped up too neatly, with the mother seemingly learning nothing and facing no fallout. This film needed to choose one job within the rental service and focus on that as the crux of the narrative. It’s also not that there is so much happening here, but that even with other supporting characters, the film feels the need to either raise the stakes or provide twisty reveals, forcing a response out of contrivance rather than organic storytelling.
The beats that Rental Family hits are wholly predictable; one can’t help but roll their eyes. There is a message regarding found family and the power of human connection that is admirable, and there is no denying the power of Brendan Fraser in this role (and the moving chemistry he develops with Shannon Mahina Gorman), but this is a story that is renting emotions rather than earning them.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder
