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In this uplifting comedic drama, Oscar winner Brendan Fraser stars as a listless American actor living in Japan who starts working for a company that “sells emotion” – by hiring actors to play critical roles in real people’s lives. Fraser’s character accepts a series of roles with perfunctory charm before getting emotionally hooked when he’s cast as a little girl’s surrogate dad. The result is a painfully sweet & continually surprising inquiry into the morality of fantasy & how so much can be forgiven in service of true connection. In some ways, RENTAL FAMILY is like a more chaste & immersive LOST IN TRANSLATION – which also benefits from a more authentic lens on the wonderfully kaleidoscopic Tokyo setting, thanks to the direction of Japanese filmmaker Hikari, who also co-wrote. The National Board of Review just named RENTAL FAMILY one of the Top 10 Films of 2025, and the Critics Choice Awards just nominated co-star Shannon Mahina Gorman for Best Young Actress.

Tuesday, January 20th at 1pm and 7pm