Rental Family

★★★★ The Telegraph

Brendan Fraser (The Mummy, The Whale) continues his career reinvention as a soulful, melancholy leading man in this heartwarming comedy-drama. Fraser is Phillip, an actor whose ‘glory days’ as toothpaste spokesman in Tokyo are behind him when he’s hired for a new kind of bit part. He must fulfill bit parts in other people’s real life dramas: mourner at a funeral, fake husband, companion for video games.

Where there is human need, he is there, along with his colleague Shinji (Mari Yamamoto), with whom he shares a genuine closeness amongst all the fake roles. Co-written and directed by Beef director Hikari, this is a beautiful slice of life in Japan, as well as a testament to the poignant moments that define our humanity wherever we’re from.