Brendan Fraser's Acclaimed Drama 'Rental Family' Arrives on Indian Streaming Platforms
Following its celebrated run on the global festival circuit, the bilingual English-Japanese film 'Rental Family' is set to make its highly anticipated debut in India. The warm and quietly poignant comedy-drama, starring Oscar winner Brendan Fraser, will begin streaming exclusively on JioHotstar starting February 18, 2026. Indian audiences can access the film beginning at midnight, with multiple audio and subtitle options available to accommodate diverse viewing preferences.
Streaming Details and Platform Availability
The film's India release marks a significant addition to JioHotstar's growing catalog of international content. 'Rental Family' will be available in its original 110-minute runtime, featuring both English and Japanese audio tracks alongside comprehensive subtitle support. This strategic midnight drop ensures that eager viewers across the country can experience the film simultaneously as soon as it becomes available.
Plot and Thematic Exploration
Directed by Japanese filmmaker Hikari—known for the Netflix series 'Beef' and the feature film '37 Seconds'—'Rental Family' delves into Japan's unique rental family industry. This real-world phenomenon involves agencies that provide actors to impersonate friends, relatives, or coworkers for clients facing personal or social challenges.
Brendan Fraser portrays Phillip Vanderploeg, an American expatriate in Tokyo whose acting career peaked years earlier with a toothpaste commercial. Now isolated and financially strained, Phillip joins a rental family agency operated by Shinji, played by Takehiro Hira of 'Shōgun' fame.
The narrative follows Phillip as he assumes various surrogate roles, including pretending to be a fiancé to satisfy parental expectations and impersonating a biological father to help a child gain admission to an exclusive school. As he immerses himself deeper into these fabricated relationships, the boundaries between performance and reality begin to blur, compelling Phillip to confront fundamental questions about his own identity and place in the world.
Critical Reception and Festival Success
'Rental Family' premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it garnered widespread critical acclaim. Reviewers particularly praised the film's sympathetic tone and Fraser's "vulnerable and grounded" performance. The drama has been celebrated for its subtle examination of urban loneliness in Tokyo and its thoughtful exploration of the universal human need for connection and belonging.
The screenplay was co-written by Stephen Blahut, contributing to the film's nuanced storytelling that resonates across cultural boundaries.
Supporting Cast and Character Dynamics
The ensemble cast features several notable performances that enrich the film's emotional landscape:
- Mari Yamamoto as Aiko, an employee at the rental family agency
- Akira Emoto as retired actor Kikuo Hasegawa, who grapples with memory loss
- Shannon Mahina Gorman in a pivotal supporting role
These characters collectively enhance the film's exploration of artificial relationships and authentic human emotions.
Brendan Fraser's Career Resurgence
'Rental Family' represents another significant project in Brendan Fraser's remarkable career resurgence. The American-Canadian actor, born December 3, 1968, in Indianapolis, Indiana, first gained recognition in the early 1990s with films like 'Encino Man' and 'School Ties'. He achieved global fame as Rick O'Connell in 'The Mummy' trilogy and has demonstrated dramatic range in projects such as 'Gods and Monsters', 'The Quiet American', and 'Crash'.
Fraser's career reached new heights in the 2020s with his Academy Award-winning performance in 'The Whale', which earned him the Oscar for Best Actor. 'Rental Family' continues his trajectory of selecting diverse, character-driven roles that challenge both the actor and audiences.
With its India streaming debut, 'Rental Family' offers viewers a compelling blend of humor and pathos, examining contemporary social issues through the lens of Japan's distinctive rental family industry. The film's availability on JioHotstar provides Indian audiences with convenient access to this internationally acclaimed cinematic work.
