Rental Family

This poignant comedy-drama stars Oscar winner Brendan Fraser as an American actor in Tokyo who lands a perfect job with one very big catch. Balancing wisdom and whimsy, the latest from director HIKARI (TIFF ’19’s 37 Seconds) explores how each of us have unique roles we play in life, some with great responsibility.

Philip (Fraser) has lived in Japan for seven years. During this time, his biggest claim to fame has been a toothpaste commercial in which he’s costumed as a cross between Superman and Gumby. Everything changes when he’s recruited to play “sad American” at an actual funeral. Thus begins Philip’s tenure with a company that hires actors as surrogates to help clients through some of life’s biggest challenges.

Through Philip’s surrogate roles, we become intimately immersed in a web of intriguing characters and lives across the city of Tokyo. We also grow to know the inner workings of the agency and the people who run it. On the surface, surrogate work seems to benefit all involved, but unexpected complexities soon set in and Philip finds himself intricately entangled. Through much trial and error, Philip is forced to face inwards when he realizes that the role of a lifetime is being himself.

HIKARI’s sophisticated handling of humour and cultural difference evokes such fish-out-of-water stories like Lost in Translation but, uniquely, does so from a Japanese perspective. Fraser, meanwhile, brings his inimitable blend of playfulness and gravitas to his character with compassion and pathos. The film also boasts brilliant performances from a stellar ensemble of Japanese actors including Takehiro Hira. Visually stunning with a gentle hand, Rental Family is a luminous, cinematic love letter to the city and firmly establishes HIKARI as a major talent to watch.

ANITA LEE