Rental Family - Review 

Rating: 4 out of 5

I WASN’T expecting to be as charmed by Rental Family as I actually was.

Co-written and directed by Hikari (who previously helmed three episodes of the first season of Beef), the film takes place in Japan and examines human connection through the lens of a different culture.

Brendan Fraser plays struggling American actor Philip who is recruited by a firm offering emotional support for people who need it: whether to present illusions of happiness for individuals or to hide lifestyles that might otherwise be frowned upon by polite society.

An early job for Philip, for example, finds him pretending to be a groom in a fake marriage to a young girl who is trying to free herself from a restrictive household, so that she can pursue a real relationship with her lesbian girlfriend.

Philip is initially sceptical of the deceit and false emotion he sees inherent in his roles, but is persuaded by the firm’s owner (played by Takehiro Hira) to give it a go in exchange for the steady income his life in Japan has so far failed to provide.

It’s not long before Philip acquires two meaningful clients: pretending to be a journalist so that he can interview an ageing actor who is slipping into dementia (Akira Emoto) and, again, pretending to be an absent father to a biracial child named Mia (Shannon Gorman) to help her secure admission into a coveted private school.

Needless to say, both roles will offer something profoundly meaningful to Philip: providing him with an unlikely father figure, while also tapping into his own paternal inclinations; both highly relevant given his own feelings of abandonment from an absentee dad.

Some critics have unfairly dismissed Rental Family as unashamedly sentimental Oscar bait that feels overly manipulative. But, for me, Hikari avoids cheap sentiment even when striking some obvious plot beats, opting for a more nuanced, restrained approach that embraces the complexities of the emotions at play.

As such, his film is also able to offer some nice surprises

Fraser, for his part, imbues Philip with a quiet sympathy. He could have been a brash American but instead offers up a sensitive, lonely individual who initially finds himself at odds with his conscience over the roles he is asked to inhabit: only belatedly coming to realise their worth and reach.

His relationship with Mia is nicely played, mindful of overstepping or becoming inappropriate, as well as the potential for damage it could cause should his deception be revealed. And yet, as Mia draws ever closer and begins to open up, an instinct kicks in to be the father she’s never had; ironically, placing him at odds with Mia’s mother.

It makes for an interesting dynamic.

Likewise, his relationship with Emoto’s often confused and highly emotional actor is beautifully realised, culminating in a wonderful road trip that unlocks a secret in the older man’s past. It sets up a genuinely moving conclusion to their arc.

Of note, too, is Hikari’s direction, which allows plenty of room for his actor’s to shine, while also showcasing the beauty of Japan. In many ways, this is also a love letter to a different culture.

If there is a criticism, then perhaps the film under-values some of its supporting players, with Takehiro Hira certainly worthy of more time as the firm’s owner (fleeting insights into his own personal life warrant more time). Likewise, fellow employee Mari Yamamoto (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters), who provides much of the film’s conscience, especially given how often she is humiliated in gigs that demand she pretend to be mistresses making ritualised apologies to betrayed wives on behalf of their spineless husbands. It is a sub-plot that further enhances the moral and ethical questions the film poses around the rental family services and what it offers.

In most respects, however, Rental Family offers a thought-provoking examination of the evolving ways in which humans connect (there are obvious parallels to the increasing use of AI in western cultures as a means to reach out), as well as what it takes to be yourself in a societies that struggle to see beyond pre built in expectations.

It’s a beautiful and often moving film, sensitively performed and quietly optimistic.

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 1hr 50mins