"Rental Family" Director HIKARI x Brendan Fraser: The Significance of Portraying "Family" in an Age of Division [Director's Interview Vol. 539]

A struggling American actor living in Tokyo finds a job as a "rental family member," playing roles in other people's lives. Brendan Fraser, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for " The Whale " (2022) and made a remarkable comeback from his slump, has now chosen to tackle a family story set in Tokyo. The film is directed and written by HIKARI, a rising director who made his feature film debut with " 37 Seconds " (2019) and has since worked on Hollywood dramas such as " TOKYO VICE Season 1 " (2022) and directed the first episode of " Beef " (2023-).

How did Brendan Fraser and director HIKARI create "Rent-a-Family"? We spoke to the two during their visit to Japan.

Synopsis of "Rent-a-Family"

Philip (Brendan Fraser), a down-on-his-luck actor living in Tokyo, finds comfort in his life in Japan, yet he's losing sight of his true self. Then he stumbles upon a job as a "rental family member," playing a temporary role in other people's lives, experiencing a part of life he never imagined. What joy of living will he find there?

Index

• The significance of depicting "family" in an era of division
• The journey of the protagonist, Philip
• What I learned from the legend Akira Emoto

The significance of depicting "family" in an era of division

Q: In this era often described as a "divided age," what are your thoughts on the significance of depicting family stories?

HIKARI: Society today is so divided that it's become difficult to explain. In this situation, I believe that what I can contribute as a filmmaker is to create works that deal with kindness, compassion, and harmony. The film depicts blood relatives, but more than that, I wanted to convey the Arrival that "people who are not related can become family."

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Fraser: In an increasingly divided world, I deeply resonated with the significance of telling family stories, and I wanted to share this story.

Everyone who watches this film will take something different away. The audience identifies with each character, projecting their own emotions onto them. Furthermore, Tokyo itself, the setting of this film, exists as a character, transporting the audience to a special place. For me, Tokyo is a special place, and I could talk about its wonders endlessly. I feel that Tokyo, and Japan in general, has a unique way of showing respect to one another. It is an attitude of always putting others before oneself. That is the mechanism that makes this society function. That might sound like an exaggeration, but that's precisely why I feel this film is all the more meaningful and necessary in today's world.

In addition to the unique title, I'm also surprised by the fact that the "rent-a-family" business model itself has existed for about 40 years. The fact that it has lasted this long suggests that it must be playing a meaningful role. Mental health issues tend not to be discussed openly in Japan, but what encourages me most is that people always find a way to fulfill their unmet needs. People find solutions without relying on pharmacists, therapists, counselors, or clergy. Rental families provide a space for people to deal with their problems and an outlet for their emotions. Just as water flows from high to low, people find their own path in life.

The journey of the protagonist, Philip