Actor Brendan Fraser Stars in Unique Japanese Drama ‘Rental Family’

Filmmaker Hikari said there are currently about 300 “rental family” companies in Japan.

She attributes the rise of this uncommon business to modern day loneliness, isolation, and a lack of societal acceptance surrounding therapy in her native country. In Japan, she says, mental health services are not as easily accessible as in the United States, even via telehealth. Japanese would rather share their thoughts and feelings with a stranger instead of a therapist.

Takehiro Hira ("Shogun"), who plays the owner of the “rental family” business in the film, spent time interviewing employees at similar companies in Tokyo. He was particularly moved by the story of an elderly woman who hired an actor to sleep in her guest room so she wouldn’t feel lonely.

Immediately following the screening, Deadline’s chief film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen on PBS SoCal's Must See Movies, moderates an in-person Q&A with co-screenwriter Stephen Blahut, and producers Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev.