"Rental Family" - Review

Actor Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser) lives in Japan, 7 years after he found success there in a toothpaste advert, seeking his next role. After an unusual job comes up, he is invited to the business Shinji (Takehiro Hira) - that of "rental families": clients will seek the services of a child, parent, sibling, or even just a friend, in order to fulfill a missing part of their lives. Hesitant, but in need of steady work, Phillip tentatively dips his toes into the world as their "token white guy". In helping people with their lives, Phillip learns more about his own along the way...

(Credit: Nerdist)
I saw director Hikari's previous film "37 Seconds" a couple of years ago, and rather enjoyed it: a wonderfully observed, low stakes little tale of a woman with cerebral palsy attempting to lose her virginity in order to make her doujin work better; though I feel it strayed too far in the final act and became about something else entirely. "Rental Family" has no such problems: it doubles down on the strengths of her works (low stakes, emotional beats and themes of being adrift and alone, and attention to detail with softer character beats) whilst working on the final act a little more and tightening the reins. It's a gentle, warm film about discovering a little about yourself, and the importance of human connection and those tiny moments we take for granted: I really enjoyed the little scenes of Phillip with his bearded client playing video games, and his time with a sex worker (Tamae Ando, who gets a sweet moment with a fortune teller). There are well shot parallels with a mirror and a funeral, and the supporting cast come together wonderfully: whilst it's a showcase for Brendan Fraser, I really enjoyed Mari Yamamoto as his colleague, and Takehiro Hira ("Tornado" is pretty good) as Shinji: who got a 3rd act joke so good it honestly will be the thing I remember most from the film, perfectly timed and immaculately executed.
The film is well directed by Hikari: she weaves between two lovely stories about fatherhood, where the tension comes from knowing exactly how this is going to end, and simply believing that knowing a person helps one to know oneself in those moments. She makes the film feel intimate yet also adrift, a fine balancing act and tightrope to walk. I feel like Phillip in this movie: I'm in this city, very "Rear Window" gazing at my neighbours, briefly glimpsing true happiness when I speak with and glimpse these characters around him, only to then return to my own life, perhaps slightly changed from watching it...
It's warm and sweet and none too saccharine, light stuff and well done. I feel it's a palette cleanser before "Primate"...