Writer/director Hikari's Rental Family has a similar premise to Werner Herzog's 2019 gem Family Romance LLC. Like that film it's a Japanese-set drama in which an actor takes on an offbeat job, that of pretending to be the friends and relatives of strangers. Here it's Brendan Fraser playing a struggling American actor based in Japan who adopts the unusual assignment, rediscovering himself in the process.
Cowritten with Stephen Blahut, the film also stars Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Akira Emoto and Shannon Gorman.
Rental Family is in UK/ROI cinemas next January.
Check out the trailer below.
The official synopsis reads:
Set against modern-day Tokyo, RENTAL FAMILY follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who 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. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.