The official trailer has arrived for Rental Family, a new film from writer-director Hikari (helmer of three episodes of Beef, two episodes of Tokyo Vice) — and Brendan Fraser’s first major leading role since his Oscar-winning turn in The Whale. Looks like a sweet, quietly offbeat setup with the potential for heartfelt connection and maybe a few tugs on the heartstrings.

Watch the trailer above and read on for the details.

Brendan Fraser Plays an Actor for Hire in Tokyo

Set in modern-day Tokyo, the film follows Fraser as a struggling American actor drifting through life until he stumbles upon an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, where stand-in relatives are hired to fill gaps in people’s lives. Whether he’s pretending to be a brother, friend, or father, the job leads him into the intimate corners of his clients’ worlds. Lines between performance and reality blur, forcing him to navigate both the joy and the moral messiness of these connections.

The trailer teases moments of gentle humour and vulnerability, like when Takehiro Hira’s character explains the company’s ethos: “We sell emotion — we play roles in clients’ lives… help them connect with what’s missing.” A particularly affecting thread sees Fraser’s character hired to play a young girl’s father, a role that begins to change him in unexpected ways.

Cast and Creators Behind Rental Family

Fraser is joined by an ensemble that includes Takehiro Hira (Shogun), Mari Yamamoto (Pachinko), Akira Emoto (Shin Godzilla), and newcomer Shannon Gorman.

Behind the camera, Hikari co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Blahut (cinematographer of Hikari’s 37 Seconds). The production includes producers Julia Lebedev (Bad Education), Eddie Vaisman (Wildlife), and Shin Yamaguchi (37 Seconds). Cinematographer Takurô Ishizaka (All of Us Strangers) and composers Jónsi and Alex Somers add further promise to the film’s tone and atmosphere.

Release Date

Rental Family opens in U.S. cinemas on November 21 and in Australian cinemas on December 26.