Rental Family is a beautiful reminder that connection is what truly matters
Brendan Fraser stars in the latest film from Japanese director Hikari — Searchlight Pictures
Japanese Director Hikari’s new film Rental Family (2025) serves up a beautiful reminder that connection is what truly matters in life.
Set in Japan, the film follows Phillip — played by Brendan Fraser — a struggling middle aged American actor living alone in Tokyo as he stumbles into the world of Japanese rental companion services. It is based on the very real service that is growing more and more popular every year in Japan. People are turning to hired companions for many reasons — as shown in the film — from friends to family members, needing a significant other for a social event or dealing with the loss of a loved one. It is an ever expanding industry that Rental Family delves into, showing the positives and the negatives that bought connection brings.
Brendan Fraser gives a delicate performance that would not look out of place on an Oscar’s Best Actor shortlist. His portrayal of a lost and lonely man is both powerful and heartbreaking. The sheer size of Fraser paired with his delicate expressions offer something very unique. He is at once massive and tiny. His character’s visible longing for meaning throughout the film remind us that relationships and connection are the most important part of life and leave you, on several occasions, wishing you could give him a hug.
Early on in the film, Fraser’s character looks out over his balcony, across to an apartment building in front of his own. His protruding eyes, watery and full of sadness, and then you see what he sees, a collage of lives staring back at him. Each window a different life and story. As you and Phillip view each person, couple or family, it makes you realise how small you are, how big the world is and how every single person on earth has a completely different life. Different experiences, different perspectives, different connections.
It is during this scene that you see the longing of Fraser’s character for connection. It makes you appreciate what you have in your life and what Phillip does not. What truly matters. Not where you are or what you do, the relationships you have.
As the film progresses and Phillip begins working with the Rental Family agency, we get to witness that these newfound connections — albeit paid for by the clients — are just as important for him as they are for the clients. They need Phillip for various reasons but he needs them just as much. They give him meaning and a purpose in life. Something to look forward to. It only takes about thirty minutes for the first tears to come to your eyes as you watch the lines between performance and reality blur.
What was initially just a way to make money and fill a void in the flailing actor’s career quickly turns into something more. At first he is unsure of his new job — he questions the morals of the industry and asks if these people are being taken advantage of. You can see that Phillip has a kind heart and always has good intentions — which only makes it more heartbreaking when he repeatedly returns home to his empty apartment — but his new line of work is in that grey moral area. By the end of the film it is clear that Phillip has had a positive impact on everybody around him. He forces things to change for the better and in return he gets the connection that he needs — that everybody needs.
The elegant score and cinematography give the film a peaceful aesthetic, allowing for a calm, philosophical viewing experience. It reminds me of how in Japan at the busiest train stations they play gentle music to calm the atmosphere while people wait. A hectic, often times stressful situation scored by serene calmness. The film tackles tough emotions and moral dilemmas but does so in such a beautiful, peaceful manner.
The film is beautiful in every sense but what Rental Family does best, is remind you that no matter where you are in the world, it is the relationships and connections that you have that will define your happiness and your life. They are what truly matter.
★★★★☆