Rental Family: VIFF 2025
Need a respectable-looking mourner to fill out your funeral? Searching for a fake dad to impress the registration committee at your posh private school? Why not call Rental Family, a surrogate agency leasing stand-in actors for social settings. In this US-Japanese co-production from director HIKARI (who has several episodes of Beef in her filmography), Brendan Fraser plays Philip, a lonely actor in Tokyo seeking work. At first Philip is dubious about the gig, but soon the genial giant sees it as an opportunity use his well-honed improv skills for good.
Although the concept may seem strange to Westerners, surrogate agencies have existed in Asian countries for years. HIKARI uses the phenomenon as a springboard for an emotionally pleasing film about estrangement and connection, and how role-playing can help bridge the two. It’s a role tailor-made for the always sympathetic Brendan Fraser, who shows off an impressive command of Japanese in his first lead since The Whale.
Saturday, October 4
6:00 pm
Tickets HERE
VIFF thanks the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations for their continued stewardship of the unceded and occupied land on which our work takes place. As an organization founded and predominantly directed by settlers and immigrants, we understand our responsibility to seek out and build authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, and to allow this ongoing dialogue to influence our practices. As part of this process, we remain committed to collaborating with and supporting Indigenous artists, filmmakers, curators, and audiences.
