Life doesn’t always work out how people plan, and the opportunity to spend ample time with someone may not be possible. Though it’s not the same, having someone take on that role, even just for a brief time, can fill a void and provide some comfort. Rental Family tells a story of a company in Japan whose business it is to work with clients who are in need of something they don’t have and can glean from having someone else pretend for them. It’s an affecting and honest look at the value of human connection.
Phillip (Brendan Fraser) moved to Japan seven years ago to start in a toothpaste commercial, and it’s been tough to find reliable work since then. A call to play a “sad American” at a mock memorial service introduces Phillip to a Rental Family company where people are hired to play a role in a person’s life. Phillip becomes especially attached to two clients he’s been assigned to work with for long-term assignments: Kikuo (Akira Emoto), an aging actor who he’s supposed to interview, and Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), a young girl who needs a father in order to get admitted to a school.
This film, from Japanese filmmaker Hikari, looks at a phenomenon that exists in Japan and does so through the eyes of an American whose cultural values and experiences are different from most of the people he’s serving. His boss Shinji (Takehiro Hira) and colleague Aiko (Mari Yamamoto) are far more attuned to what people expect from working with the company, while it’s an uphill battle for Phillip to adjust to how much he’s supposed to bring of himself as compared to doing precisely what’s written in the folder and no more. It’s not just where he’s from, but he’s also a very sensitive soul who can’t help but see what people truly need because he too is seeking purpose and validation.
This is a significant moment for Fraser, his first lead role since The Whale, which restarted his career with an Oscar win and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. In some ways, Rental Family is less ambitious, but that’s not a bad thing. It allows the tender moments in which Phillip goes above and beyond, arguably to his detriment, to be who his clients need him to be to speak for themselves and show their power without any specific cinematic framing or emphasis. This is a human story that’s perfectly ordinary, and that’s precisely where Hikari and co-screenwriter Stephen Blahut leave their mark. At no point are Kikuo or Mia portrayed as gullible or pitiable, instead entitled to the anger they should have at being deceived but also gifted with Phillip showing up for them as his true authentic self, even if that’s explicitly the opposite of his assignment.
Fraser is naturally charming and endearing, and this is a gentle turn where any objectionable behavior on Phillip’s is because he’s trying to be a good person. It may not be as resounding as his tour de force work in The Whale but it can be just as effective, especially in certain moments where Fraser shows how these relationships which Phillip is pretending are profoundly affecting him too. In her first film role, Gorman is a natural on screen, while veteran actor Emoto breathes life into a character who has had a long and eventful journey. Hira adds depth to a business operator who could have functioned less memorably without it, and Yamamoto brings a less upbeat commitment to caring to the outwardly colder and more direct Aiko.
This film should have particular resonance for anyone watching who could see the value in using a service like this, or, even if they wouldn’t, has some relationship in their life that could use a script or outside perspective to help fix or heal. When Phillip is asked if he would ever use the service he’s now performing, his uncertain response is telling, since, as this film shows, it’s something that everyone could use in some form or another: a chance to refocus and be open to seeing things in a new light, having conversations rather than closing doors. Through both serious, heartfelt moments and much lighter, comedic ones, Rental Family succeeds at showing that there’s always a chance to fix things, even if swapping out someone in an equation might be necessary to make it possible.
Movie Rating: 8/10
