AKIRA EMOTO

RENTAL FAMILY (2025)

Starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Akira Emoto, Nihi and Shannon Gorman. Directed by Hikari.

An American actor (Brendan Fraser) struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese "rental family" agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

REVIEWS Rental Family - Sometimes it's okay to pretend

SHOPLIFTERS (2018)

Starring Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kirin Kiki, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Sosuke Ikematsu, Chizuru Ikewaki, Akira Emoto and Kengo Kora. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda.

Osamu is the head of an impoverished family of thieves and fraudsters. Three generations are cramped into a dilapidated house stuck between anonymous apartment blocks. His wife, Naboyo, works in a laundry and steals whatever she can from clothes' pockets. Young son Shota accompanies dad on shoplifting expeditions. Teenage daughter Aki works behind a mirror in a sleazy peep-show joint. Grandma is addicted to pachinko gambling machies.

Then there's Yuri. She's a neglected and frightened 4-year-old girl rescued from the street and informally adopted by the family. Everyone's happy, especially Yuri, but she's still a missing person and someone else's daughter. When authorities eventually come calling Yuri's given a disguise and a new name, but this is far from the end of the matter. Kore-eda's masterful film highlights sharp social and economic divisions in contemporary Japan while asking the question of what makes a family.

REVIEWS Shoplifters - A gorgeous drama on the families we make for ourselves