Rental Family | Film Review

 

American actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser) takes an unusual gig with a Japanese agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. But he soon finds himself becoming too invested in his clients' lives, building relationships that blur the lines between personal and professional.

I really liked this movie.

The concept is really really interesting. I didn't quite get what it would be based on the description alone, but seeing the idea play out is fascinating, and I'd love to know if the job really exists.

Brendan Fraser plays this character perfectly, and with complete authenticity. You become invested in the story so quickly because of this character, and how connected you feel to him. I really empathised with him and loved following him on this journey.

But all of the actors are so great and play their parts so well. They have great chemistry, in particular, Fraser and Shannon Mahina Gorman, who plays Mia - their relationship was so special and powerful.

One underrated thing that I loved about it was that despite the main character being American, it was very Japanese, rooted in Japan, and the Japanese characters actually spoke Japanese a lot of the time. The filmmakers didn't Americanise the story unnecessarily.

I found myself becoming very emotionally invested in the characters and their stories - I didn't expect it to be as emotional as it was.

It was also a lot more original than I expected it to be, which was a major plus. A lot of this is down to the writing and how well it was constructed.

I also found it really thought-provoking. It makes you think about your own life and the connections you have. You also think about what you'd do in that situation, which adds to how invested you become in the ending.

Overall, this was a really powerful way to show and examine human connection. It's a really beautiful story and definitely worth watching!

8.5/10