Key Points:
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Rental Family explores a real industry in Japan where people can hire actors to play roles in their personal lives.
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Director HIKARI based the film on extensive research into rental companion services and their cultural roots.
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Brendan Fraser leads the film as an American actor in Tokyo who becomes emotionally entangled in the lives of those who hire him.
Rental Family takes an unusual premise and grounds it in real human longing. Directed by HIKARI and starring Brendan Fraser, the film follows an out-of-work American actor in Tokyo who becomes a rental companion for people seeking emotional support. The story blends culture, loneliness, and connection into a grounded portrait of why such services even exist and why they matter.
What Is the Real “Rental Family” Industry That Inspired the Film?
The world of Rental Family may sound like fiction, but the concept comes straight from a long-standing industry in Japan. Rental companions actors hired to play emotional or social roles have been around since 1991. The Japan Efficiency Corporation was the first known service, launching a quiet but quickly growing business model. Today, director HIKARI estimates more than 300 such companies operate across Japan.
In the film, Brendan Fraser’s character, Phillip, steps into several roles: a mourner at a funeral, a best friend, even a father figure to a young girl. These scenarios mirror real tasks performed by actual rental companions. Their jobs vary widely, from filling emotional gaps to playing parts that help families maintain appearances during social events.
This industry didn’t emerge randomly. It fills a cultural and emotional space shaped by Japan’s social norms. One of the key ideas behind it is honne and tatemae the difference between a person’s true feelings (honne) and the public façade they maintain for harmony (tatemae). Because expressing vulnerability is often discouraged, many people struggle to show sadness, loneliness, or fear openly.
Rental companions create an environment where clients can finally reveal their honne without fear of judgment. They can speak freely, grieve safely, or simply feel seen. For some, that emotional outlet is essential.
HIKARI found this aspect especially meaningful during her research. She met actors who specialized in different forms of emotional support—older men providing guidance to younger people, women-led companies serving women who preferred the comfort of a female companion, and agencies offering discreet services for clients ashamed to discuss their struggles. Many clients didn’t tell friends or relatives about using these services, highlighting the stigma around loneliness in Japan.
Interestingly, similar services exist beyond Japan in China, South Korea, and Italy but Japan remains the center of their popularity. Cultural attitudes toward expressing emotions contribute heavily to their acceptance and growth there.
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How Did Brendan Fraser Prepare for His Role in Rental Family?
Brendan Fraser first read the Rental Family script just before the 2023 awards season, where he would eventually win an Oscar for The Whale. His initial reaction mirrored what most audiences feel: surprise. But the screenplay’s emotional grounding changed his perspective. Fraser appreciated how the story showed human beings filling quiet, often hidden voids in their lives. Sometimes, the simple act of being acknowledged of someone looking you in the eye is enough to ease a lonely moment.
To prepare for the film, Fraser spent significant time in Tokyo. He met expats who had found new beginnings in the city, as well as longtime residents who helped him understand the nuances of life there. He embraced the culture’s sense of structure, even the small rules like no jaywalking that are taken seriously. Instead of feeling limited by these norms, Fraser found comfort in their consistency.
The film avoids exaggerating Japanese culture for comedic or dramatic effect. Instead, it treats its setting with respect and realism. Fraser’s character isn’t portrayed as someone stumbling through a strange world but as a man learning from it. A key moment in the film involves Mari Yamamoto’s character explaining to Phillip that he’ll never fully understand her culture not as a criticism, but as a fact. That tension allows Rental Family to explore identity, belonging, and perspective without caricature.
Fraser also learned how rental companion actors themselves often gain something from their work. In HIKARI’s research, many actors described how the “fake families” they worked with became a kind of second family to them. They showed up for clients, but those clients also filled their emotional gaps. Tokyo is filled with dream-seekers and artists who leave their hometowns to pursue acting; loneliness is common. Playing a companion sometimes helped them feel connected in their own lives.
Fraser connected deeply with this idea. For him, Rental Family became more than a film about loneliness it became a story about how connection can appear in unexpected forms. He described the film as “a love letter to Tokyo” and, more importantly, to anyone who has ever felt unseen.
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Why Did HIKARI Want to Explore Rental Families Through This Story?
Although HIKARI grew up in Japan, she initially knew nothing about rental companion services. Her writing partner, Stephen Blahut, discovered the industry during research for another project. When he shared it, HIKARI was shocked and immediately curious. Realizing the emotional depth of such a concept, she began interviewing people involved in the business.
Her findings shaped the heart of the film. She met actors who treated their roles with genuine care, business owners who saw their work as a form of emotional support, and clients who confided truths they felt unable to share with friends or family. Many spoke of feeling isolated, and the service gave them a safe space to express personal burdens.
HIKARI also drew from her own experiences as an outsider. At 17, she moved from Japan to Utah as an exchange student. She spoke no English at the time, yet she found herself embraced by classmates who became lifelong friends. The feeling of being welcomed despite differences inspired her to flip that idea for Rental Family. What would happen if a foreigner specifically a “token white guy” entered Japanese culture as someone meant to provide emotional support?
That question became the film’s starting point.
She also wanted to highlight how performance is woven into Japanese culture. Cosplay, for example, is widely accepted, and the idea of playing a role temporarily becoming someone else is familiar to many people. This made rental companion services feel less like an oddity and more like an extension of existing cultural practices.
Through this lens, Rental Family isn’t simply a movie about people pretending. It’s about the blurred lines between performance and genuine connection. When someone plays a family member long enough, at what point does that bond feel real?
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When Does Rental Family Release?
Rental Family is produced by Searchlight Pictures. While exact streaming details vary by region, Searchlight films typically release in theaters first, followed by streaming on platforms partnered with the studio.
Source: TIME
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