"The film you're about to see is a love letter to Tokyo. The address is loneliness anywhere, and it's signed and sealed with a cherry blossom kiss,"
"In Japan, we have so many different kinds of business, like renting a girlfriend, renting a wise older man, renting a lap so you can put your head down for 30 minutes, that kind of stuff,"
Opening scene shows Philip staring out a Tokyo apartment window, watching families in a nearby high-rise and embodying loneliness and longing for connection. Philip, a struggling American actor in Tokyo, accepts work as a “sad American,” a professional mourner at a mock funeral, and becomes an employee of Rental Family, a company that stages paid relationships and roles. Rental Family provides services ranging from a fake apologetic mistress to a phony husband during ceremonies. Hikari directs with a score by Jónsi of Sigur Rós. The premiere at TIFF drew shy sniffles, wet eyes and a standing ovation. Philip initially feels guilty but finds fulfillment as a faux biographer and a hired father helping a girl gain elite school entry.
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