Name: Rental Family
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: May 14, 2026
Duration: 1h 50min

PLOT : Set in the vibrant, neon-lit streets of modern Tokyo, Rental Family stars Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser as Phillip, a struggling American actor whose career has stalled after a single toothpaste commercial. Desperate for purpose, he joins a unique Japanese agency that rents out professional surrogates to stand in for missing family members and friends. As Phillip immerses himself in the lives of strangers, playing a doting father to a young girl and a journalist for an aging actor with dementia, the boundaries between performance and reality begin to blur. This soulful dramedy explores the moral complexities of "faking" connection, ultimately revealing how a rented role can lead to a profound discovery of one’s true self.

Hikari. Born in Osaka and based in Los Angeles, Hikari (Mitsuyo Miyazaki) is a visionary filmmaker known for her "borderless" cinematic style and deep empathy for outsiders. She shot to international fame with her debut feature 37 Seconds (2019), which won the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlinale. A graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Hikari has further solidified her reputation as a major global talent by directing acclaimed episodes of the Netflix hit Beef and the prestige series Tokyo Vice. With Rental Family, she blends a distinct Japanese perspective with a universal story of human loneliness, confirming her status as one of the most exciting directors working today.

Length 1h 50min

Distribution Criterion Pictures
Production Sight Unseen Productions, Domo Arigato Productions

Rental Family

Upgrade your movie night with SERATA!

What’s Included in Your Ticket