Years ago, talk show host Conan O’Brien traveled to Japan for one of his special international remote episodes that helped inspire his new series, Conan O’Brien Must Go. While in Japan, O’Brien checked out some of the unique local sights. One of the things he explored was a family rental service that the country provides to combat the national crisis of loneliness. His exploration into the topic was, of course, done in a very humorous way. However, filmmaker HIKARI, who helmed drama 37 Seconds as well as a few seasons in the first season of Netflix’s Beef, explores the concept with a bit more drama. Searchlight Pictures has released the trailer for Rental Family, which will make its debut at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Keep a lookout for our upcoming review when it screens!
The official synopsis reads,
“Set against modern-day Tokyo, RENTAL FAMILY follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.”
The cast includes Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman and Akira Emoto. HIKARI directs from a script that is co-written by Stephen Blahut. Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, HIKARI and Shin Yamaguchi are on board as producers on the film. It’s been over two years since Brendan Fraser won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Whale. And while he has had supporting roles in films like Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Max Barbakow’s Brothers, he’s once again taking the marquee for this film.
In addition to Rental Family, Searchlight Pictures also has Jay Roach comedy The Roses out towards the end of the summer and horror sequel Ready or Not 2: Here I Come set for April of next year. Earlier this year, they had a strong awards go with both A Complete Unknown and A Real Pain.
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