Rental Family

We've all seen many films in our lives whether foreign or domestic in every genre across the board, and with that, some films are easy to fully understand, whereas other movies take some understanding to absorb because of cultural aspects, obscurity or the feeling of them being too cerebral. "Rental Family" is interesting even though there are several times where the cultural aspects of it can cloud certain rationale depending which culture is watching it.

Set in modern-day Tokyo, "Rental Family" follows an American actor, Phillip Vandarpleog (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency headed up by Shinji Tada (Takehiro Hira) playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients' worlds such as Mia Kawasaki (Shannon Mahina Gorman) and Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto), he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging and the quiet beauty of human connection. 

Others to round out the cast are Sei Matobu as Masami Hasegawa, Kikuo's daughter, Shino Shinozaki as Hitomi Kawasaki, Mia's mother, Daikichi Sugawara as Jideo Ikeda and Hideko Hara as Keiko Ikeda.

This was directed with heart, poignancy and insightfulness by Hikari ("37 Seconds" '19) plus TV,  shorts and a music video. Even though this filmmaker has only one feature film under her belt, the many shorts she has to her credit has certainly served her well. Her ability to define the crossover between moral and legal issues was not only subtle but definitely caught one's eye. It was equally well penned by Hikari ("37 Seconds" '19) plus shorts and Stephen Blahut (cinematography). Again, considering these writers' limited experience in this field, this was a very captivating story. It is difficult to relay a story that straddles moral and legal and emotional issues with such subtlety, however with bold reality as the film unfolds. This shows how we, as a society, whether here or abroad can be so disconnected with our emotions in the guise of this rental family being called a business. Certainly, there was lying going on, but then again, acting is technically a form of lying--representing yourself as someone you're not. The difference here is that the 'rep' was lying to people who thought they were on the up and up. It's an interesting story about confronting our lack of ability or willingness to truly connect with people. Other than a small place of choppiness, this script soared. More work their way please.

If you're a Brendan Fraser fan, you will like this. His performance in "The Whale" was probably the best film (acting wise) he's ever done, but this film brought out the compassion and passion in him for sure. It's a film about how we should be more of a society of connecting and not hide behind masks. The more genuine and honest we are toward one another, the happier we will be.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                       110mins.