Overview

• Rental Family premiered at TIFF on Sept. 6 to a standing ovation at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre, where Fraser grew emotional discussing the film’s themes.
• Early reviews were broadly favorable, with several outlets suggesting the film could figure into awards season and highlighting Fraser as a potential best-actor contender.
• Co-written by Hikari and Stephen Blahut, the film follows an American actor in Tokyo who takes paid stand-in roles through a “rental family” agency.
• The story is rooted in a real Japanese sector that has operated since the 1980s and, by some reporting, includes hundreds of companies offering paid companionship.
• Searchlight Pictures has set a U.S. theatrical release for Nov. 21, 2025, following the film’s festival launch.