<p>In Rental Family, the new Tokyo-set drama starring Brendan Fraser, writer-director Hikari poses the question: “Can fantasies and fictions ever fill the gaps left in our lives by the people we miss; the things that we long for?” It’s a question the filmmaker – real name Mitsuyo Miyazaki – sets up and then resists answering in any declarative way. Instead, the film – about a washed-up American actor named Phillip who begins playing roles in the lives of strangers – treads around the topic with curiosity and empathy. Loneliness and loss, this drama seems to say, are a part of life, and sometimes we as a species go to unusual lengths in search of a balm for that pain. That’s not necessarily healthy. It’s not necessarily unhealthy either. It’s just something that we do. And it leads to phenomena like “rental families” – a concept that really does exist in Japan, in which actors perform the role of a loved one in exchange for a fee. </p><br><p>In today's spoiler conversation, Hikari – a former dancer and rap photographer, best known in film and TV for her work on the Netflix series Beef – joins Al to discuss what the growth of rental families in her home country of Japan says about where we’re at as a society. The filmmaker breaks down how she translated the universal loneliness epidemic that the rental family industry is testament to, into this beautifully understated tale.</p><br><p>Script Apart is hosted by <a href="http://www.al-horner.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Al Horner</a> and produced by <a href="https://www.stepthree.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kamil Dymek</a>. Follow us on <a href="http://instagram.com/scriptapart" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, or email us on [email protected].</p><br><p>To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on <a href="http://www.patreon.com/scriptapart" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patreon</a>.</p><br><p>Get coverage on your screenplay by visiting <a href="http://www.scriptapart.com/coverage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ScriptApart.com/coverage</a>.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>