Rental Family

Synopsis

Since the 1990s, Japan has offered “rental family” services—actors hired to play relatives for social occasions. As it turns out, the job isn’t so different from the acting gigs Phillip (Brendan Fraser) is desperately chasing—at least, that’s what he thinks. He agrees to work under Shinji (Takehiro Hira, Shōgun) as the “sad American” at a funeral. But a chance encounter with a young girl, for whom he’s standing in as an absent father, becomes the emotional core of Rental Family (2025) —the warm and moving English-language debut from Japanese director Hikari. Like our beloved closing film, we hope this one inspires you to form bonds that last.