Since the 1990s, Japan has offered the service of pretending to be one’s family, friend, or lover. Rental Family isn’t the first time the West has ever depicted this service, but at a time of increased isolation, division, and loneliness worldwide, the very concept directly addresses that need for perceived connection. Why is there a need to fake it, rather than to form it for real? With Hollywood’s own Brendan Fraser, this comedy-drama considers how that perception has been tied closely to the outcomes of one’s life, gently recognizing how difficult it is to balance it with other concerns. Rental Family doesn’t fully resolve its client characters, but like director Hikari’s previous work, it asks its audience to reconsider the notions surrounding the rental family service.
"An American impulse for neat endings and recognisable stories gets in the way, but Rental Family is still beautifully written and gives little windows into Japanese life."
— Fatima Sheriff
"Rental Family might be a modestly likable, often uneven movie about a fictional American actor in Japan, but it’s also a thoroughly fascinating movie about a very real actor in the midst of one of the strangest careers I’ve witnessed."
— Bilge Ebiri
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.
Nat. Board of Review
1 win
