Brendan Fraser is starring in the feel-good film, Rental Family, which hits theaters this weekend.
I was completely captivated by Hikari’s film! It centers around an American actor down on his luck who takes a really strange job – he gets hired by a Japanese agency to be other people, literally standing in for them. But as he gets more and more involved in these roles, something fascinating happens: his own life starts to mix with those of the people he’s pretending to be, and he can’t help but get tangled up in their affairs, even though he doesn’t actually know them.
The movie questions whether what we’re doing is actually the right thing, exploring both the benefits and drawbacks. It follows one person’s experience and the meaningful connections they make along the way – the people who become like family over time.
Fraser believes the film, which explores feelings of isolation and the importance of connection, can offer a welcome escape from current events, providing audiences with a bit of relief for nearly two hours.
Fraser described the film as a heartfelt tribute to Tokyo, noting how it captures the sense of isolation experienced by people in both the story and in real life.
Fraser explained what attracted him to the film Rental Family and his role as Philip Vanderploeg. He was excited by the opportunity to film in Japan, working with a Japanese director and crew on a script by a Japanese-American writer, and experiencing the country firsthand. He was also drawn to the story of Philip, a character who turns his back on Western life.
The movie hints at a deeper issue with the main character’s constant travel. There’s something unsettling about his past, and his journey is about uncovering the truth. He doesn’t realize this at first, but encounters with a child and an older man completely shift his perspective and understanding of things.
He went on to say that the film is a beautiful exploration of self-discovery. Hikari not only wrote and directed it, but also filmed it herself, and it feels like a heartfelt tribute to Tokyo, specifically the feeling of loneliness that can exist even in a bustling city. He explained that, much like London, you can be surrounded by people and activity, yet still feel incredibly isolated – and often, many others are experiencing the same thing, but we tend to keep it to ourselves and don’t reach out.
“Rental Family” isn’t so much about hiring a service as it is about encouraging people to reach out for connection and overcome feelings of loneliness.
Rental Family is released in UK cinemas on Friday 16th January 2025.
Authors
As a total entertainment junkie, I’ve been following Katelyn Mensah’s work for a while now. She’s the Senior Entertainment Writer over at TopMob, and she really covers it all – from the big entertainment events to the latest reality TV obsessions and those seriously impactful documentaries. Before that, she was writing about reality TV and celebrity news at The Tab, and she’s got a solid journalism background with a BA (Hons) degree to back it up. She definitely knows her stuff!
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2026-01-16 11:06