RENTAL FAMILY (12A)
Thursday 9 April 2026 2pm & 7pm
Running time 110 minutes
In playing others for hire, a lost man discovers connection, purpose, and what it means to belong.
An American actor adrift in Tokyo struggles with isolation, fading ambition, and a growing sense that his life has stalled. Far from home and unsure of his place in the world, he stumbles upon an unusual line of work: a Japanese “rental family” agency that provides stand-ins to fill emotional gaps in people’s lives. Hired to play roles such as a missing husband, an estranged son, or a supportive friend, he begins performing intimacy for strangers who need connection more than explanation.
At first, the job feels surreal and transactional, carefully scripted encounters bound by time and payment. But as he inhabits these borrowed lives, the boundaries between performance and reality begin to blur. Each assignment offers a glimpse into private longings, quiet griefs, and the unspoken need to be seen. Through these fleeting relationships, he starts to rediscover empathy, discipline, and a renewed respect for the emotional labour of human connection.
Set against the rhythms of contemporary Tokyo, Rental Family is a tender, quietly humorous exploration of identity, loneliness, and belonging. As the actor learns to show up authentically for others, he slowly confronts his own emotional evasions, finding unexpected purpose not in being himself, but in being present.
Tickets:
£6 adults, £5 concessions
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