Rental Family is a film that is made from genuine emotion, reminding us that sometimes the most profound stories unfold in the subtlest of gestures. Directed by the visionary Hikari, this 2025 gem stars Brendan Fraser as Phillip, a down-on-his-luck American actor adrift in the neon-lit city of Tokyo. What begins as a quirky premise—a man moonlighting for a “rental family” service, stepping into fabricated roles for clients craving connection—quickly evolves into a tapestry of raw humanity.
The setup is simple: Phillip, fluent in Japanese yet forever an outsider, stumbles into this unconventional gig after one too many auditions go nowhere. Hikari draws from real-life Japanese services that rent out companions for everything from weddings to everyday chats, transforming what could be a gimmick into a exploration of isolation. Without spoiling the intimate moments that drive the story, the film masterfully balances humor and heartache, showing how these paid performances peel back layers of vulnerability. It’s not just about the rentals; it’s about the renters—and the renter—who discover that authenticity often blooms in the most artificial settings. Fraser’s Phillip isn’t a savior; he’s a mirror, reflecting the quiet desperation we all carry when life feels like a solo act.
Brendan Fraser, fresh off his well-deserved renaissance, delivers a performance that’s tender. It’s Fraser at his most unguarded, channeling the gentle giant archetype into something profoundly relatable. Critics have rightly hailed this as one of his finest turns since The Whale, but here, it’s laced with a cultural humility that elevates it further.
At its heart, Rental Family is a love letter to the unspoken aches of modern life, particularly in a society like Japan’s where harmony often masks deep-seated solitude. Hikari doesn’t glamorize the culture but immerses us in it—the pressure to conform, the beauty of fleeting encounters, the host clubs and rental agencies that serve as lifelines for the emotionally adrift. The film gently critiques our global loneliness epidemic while celebrating cross-cultural bridges, proving that understanding blooms not from similarity, but from the courage to show up imperfectly.
If there’s a fault with this film, it’s that it can be predictable in certain beats, which might disappoint some viewers. It’s not cluttered with cinematic twists, instead invites us to savor the journey rather than race to the end.
Rental Family is a movie you watch when the world feels too disconnected, emerging with a renewed faith in serendipity. Hikari and Fraser have crafted something timeless amid the timely, a film that whispers, “You’re not alone”; it’ll rent a space in your heart you didn’t know was vacant.
Screening at Luna Leederville, The Windsor, and Luna on SX from December 26.
Screening in the Luna Outdoor Dec 13 (First Look), then 26-31.
- Email: neill@outloudculture.com
- Socials: @frazer.live
- @neill.outloud
