Rental Family (2025) Dir: Hikari

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This cute little independent comedy, directed, written, and produced by Hikari, best known for their work on the popular series; 'Beef', was a film I was very excited for this year, particularly when I saw that I had the chance to see it at the cinema. It looked like a real heartwarmer, and one that was very much up my alley. I was particularly keen on seeing another modern Brendan Fraser role - I have a lot of time for him.

Visually, I would describe this film as understated but beautiful. There were some particularly pretty shots in the now-closed 'teamLab Borderless', in Tokyo, which provided some absolutely spectacular shots with incredibly interesting lighting. Tonally, the film felt quite warm and cosy, despite fairly pale lighting - something I enjoyed a lot.

The narrative was heartwarming, emotional, tender, and very wholesome - it was easy to sit back and enjoy the story playing out on the screen. There were some more bitter-sweet moments too, but they only enhanced the emotional experience of the film. It wad also extremely funny, at points - I was honestly smiling the whole way through the film. It, perhaps, did not have the emotional heart of, say, 'Sentimental Value', from the same year, but it was still a compelling and emotive viewing experience.

Brendan Fraser continued his career revival with another wonderful leading performance, this time leaning into his softer, more paternal side, and to great effect. This wasn't quite as strong as, for example, his Oscar-winning performance, but it was still very enjoyable, in my opinion. I like these softer roles for Fraser, and his knack for comedy has always been easy to appreciate, to me.

The young Shannon Machina Gorman produced a fairly strong performance in her own right, albeit she did, occasionally, sway into the realm of goofy, with a couple of her more comedic scenes. That is a little bit of a nitpick, but the rest of her performance was, generally speaking, quite good. Takehiro Hira and Mari Yamamoto both produced memorable and enjoyable supporting performances, although I must admit, I would have loved to see a little more of them, particularly Yamamoto, because she stood out quite a lot to me.

Akira Emoto actually stole the show for me, though. He mixed comedy with tragedy beautifully to create an endearing, entertaining, and ultimately heart-wrenching performance, which will stay with me for quite some time. It may be because the character connected with me quite a lot, for personal reasons, but I felt hugely attached to Emoto's character, and the man's acting was exemplary.

Overall, I thought this was a really enjoyable comedy, which had plenty of heart put into it. It didn't necessarily have the overall emotional oomph that, perhaps, I was expecting, but it sure did entertain me, regardless. I thought the film achieved what it set out to, for the most part. It felt like a warm hug. Ironically, it provided a comforting service, which left me feeling a little warmer inside than before I went into the cinema.