Naman Shrestha
Co-written and directed by Hikari, ‘Rental Family’ is a coming-of-age comedy-drama movie that centers on a struggling American actor named Phillip Vandarpleog, who leads a lonely life in Tokyo, Japan. Looking for purpose, he lands a job at a Japanese rental family agency that requires him to make the most of his acting talents and play familial roles in the lives of complete strangers. However, through his unconventional job, Phillip’s life is impacted as he, in turn, impacts the lives of his clients in unexpected ways.
By playing the role of his clients’ family member or best friend, he finds it hard to differentiate between reality and performance. Consequently, he rediscovers his life’s purpose, thanks to all the connections he makes with his clients. Featuring compelling and emotional performances from a talented ensemble cast comprising Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, and Akira Emoto, the drama film is set amidst the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and the closed spaces of Phillip’s clients’ residences.
Rental Family Filming Locations
The shooting for ‘Rental Family’ took place entirely in Japan, particularly in and around Tokyo. Principal photography for the Brendan Fraser starrer reportedly got underway in March 2024 and went on for a couple of months before wrapping up in late May of the same year. For his role, Fraser reportedly spent four months in the Asian country and learned Japanese, for which he received a B-plus from the director, Hikari. During a conversation with Variety, Fraser said, “I’m an excellent mimic. By the end, I could comprehend conversations at least. And I realized that language becomes immaterial when you have a need to communicate. We’re going to find a way, one way or another.”
Tokyo, Japan
In order to maintain the authenticity of the tale, the production team of ‘Rental Family’ lensed most of the sequences on location in the capital of Japan — Tokyo. Various famous areas and landmarks of the city feature in the drama movie, such as the Shibuya Scramble Crossing in the namesake district, Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, and the Imperial Palace. Several exterior scenes were also recorded around the Alpen Tokyo at 3 Chome-23-7 Shinjuku in Tokyo’s Shinjuku City.
Apart from the bustling areas of Tokyo, the filming unit also set up camp in more peaceful neighborhoods and streets to showcase the different dynamics of life in the city through the protagonist’s eyes. For taping the indoor scenes set inside different residences of Phillip’s clients, they seemingly took over real-life properties in the residential neighborhoods of the city. Moreover, the sequences involving the office of the Japanese rental family agency were supposedly shot in an actual establishment.
Capturing both sides of Tokyo, the movie manages to portray the city life quite accurately. The cast and crew members also possibly utilized the railway stations and trains to lens numerous pivotal scenes involving Phillip. Apart from ‘Rental Family,’ the capital of Japan has hosted the production of many movies and TV shows over the years. A few notable ones include ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ ‘The Creator,’ ‘Perfect Days,’ ‘Lost in Translation,’ ‘Lost Girls and Love Hotels,’ ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘Tokyo Vice,’ and ‘The Morning Show.’
