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  • 7 weeks ago
After Brendan Fraser won the Oscar for The Whale in 2023, the actor said he was being “picky” about his next starring role. Now that his next movie is here, Rental Family, I think his selectiveness paid off. The latest of 2025 movie releases is a heartwarming drama that’s already received a lot of buzz at film festivals, along with positive words from critics. Now that it’s arrived in theaters, we had a chance to discuss the beautiful ending with the cast. SPOILERS are ahead.

Rental Family follows an American named Philip who has been living in Tokyo, Japan, as an actor in recent years, doing commercial work mainly. He’s approached by a “rental family” company (which actually do exist in Japan) to play make-believe roles to real people. They say they need a “token white guy”. Philip’s job gets more complicated with the company when he’s asked to play the long-lost father to a young girl, and a journalist to a retired actor. Let’s get into what happens.
Transcript
00:00What did that final shot mean to you, Brandon, of that mirror moment?
00:03Because I just love that scene so much.
00:05Well, remember that he was told by Kikuo-san to go take a look in the shrine
00:13when he asked, what's in there?
00:15And he responded, maybe later.
00:17So after the story plays out, he does go to the shrine.
00:22And he does make a transformation.
00:24And he makes a discovery, an epiphany even.
00:26And not only was the old man right and you got me from the great beyond,
00:30but I'm in there.
00:33I was enough all along.
00:35I didn't need to doubt myself.
00:37I'm going to be okay going forward.
00:40That's what I always believed it to be.
00:43Yeah.
00:44Yeah, for me, I think, you know, I've had times in my life where, like,
00:49friends would love me in such a way that I could only think,
00:55like, there has to be a God, you know, like, you know,
01:00it's like a religious experience being loved by people like that, you know.
01:04And then you see God in them in those moments, you know.
01:09And I think the last scene tells me that if I deserve that kind of love,
01:16then there must be something inside me too, you know.
01:18I've had these experiences.
01:20So that last scene sort of resonated, you know.
01:24If you look within, you can find the answers and, you know,
01:27the love that you need, like all of these things.
01:31Yeah, I feel so many things watching that scene,
01:35but that's the one that comes to mind.
01:37And for me, it's the same reaction,
01:41but it wasn't the original ending, was it?
01:45You know, it wasn't.
01:46It wasn't.
01:47They changed it, like, you know, in the ending.
01:50It was like, brilliant.
01:51Yes.
01:52It was like, so much more meaningful.
01:54Yeah.
01:55Yeah, like the original ending was so good.
01:57I've always cried.
01:58It was fine.
01:59But mind you, this was a film that was covered from so many different angles
02:02and there's much of it that you're going to wind up seeing as extras
02:04or Easter eggs or whatever they're called these days,
02:06you know, months and months from now.
02:08And that's just a testament to how thorough our director, Hikari, was.
02:13Yeah, so thorough.
02:14That's why each of these characters presents with such a rich backstory
02:18because in reality,
02:20there was an embarrassment of riches of performance that was captured,
02:23but just didn't make it to the screen for time.
02:26And she was able to take all of that footage
02:31and find the story in editorial.
02:34Yeah.
02:35Yeah.
02:35Is a feat of directing skill that not many surpass.
02:40And for, I won't say a relative newcomer,
02:42but this is Hikari's work that is breakthrough for her.
02:46And we're going to see the emergence of a formidable force in filmmaking
02:51in the years to come through her.
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