Brendan Fraser plays an American actor looking for a job and instead finds a usual job seeking human connection, but just how deep is the connection?
- Director – Hikari
- Runtime – 110 minutes
- Certificate – 12A
- Country – Japan, United States
In his first lead performance since his Oscar win, what Fraser gives as Phillip is very solid and earnest. However who really captured my attention was Mari Yamamoto as Aiko.
She doesn’t get much screen time but when she does I honestly thought she was running laps round Fraser.
The main theme of the film is connection and how people strive for human connection. Her portrayal of this was so captivating and honest. We see her struggling with this morality about whether her job is right or not – to be robbing people of these fake connections.
The theme of connection runs throughout and director Hikari makes sure you know this. She does through the use of the agency showing how it can be beneficial but also the damage it can cause. More often than not this is where Fraser’s performance really kicks in showcasing his moral compass. He was built for this role – his soft spoken manner and body language really sells the sincerity of the film.
However I feel like that there is sometimes a contradiction within his character where he is opposed to doing a job because it’s not right but then will happily go along pretending to be the dad of child. I get that it’s the point that he’s supposed to get attached but he never really voices his concerns that being a fake father is wrong.
For it being a dramedy it balances it quite well most of the time but with the use of the agency I feel Hikari could have gone a bit darker with showing the ugly side of that industry. The film is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and beliefs and this is in fact a real job in Japan – with Aiko showing a more nuanced side of it. With such a good performance she already gave I wish that they utilised her character a bit more.
With it being rooted in Japan, the cinematography is excellent. While it is basically just establishing shots of Japan itself, there was never not a shot I wasn’t impressed by.
Use of extreme wide shots to capture the beauty of their nature or close ups displaying the intricacy of the architecture.
Rental Family is a feel good film that definitely delivers in that front with a sincere performance from Fraser who grounds the story in this exploration of the desire for connection, even if the execution isn’t always there.
Rental Family is now in cinemas.