Searchlight's "Rental Family" Brings the Heartfelt Story Home on Hulu Later This Month

Searchlight’s heartfelt story, Rental Family, will soon be available to stream on screens and devices everywhere. 

What’s Happening: 

• Searchlight Pictures has revealed when their heartfelt story, Rental Family, will begin streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ (for bundle subscribers in the U.S.). 
• Set in modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family stars Academy Award–winning Brendan Fraser as a once-promising American actor searching for purpose and belonging in a society where he feels increasingly adrift. 
• An unexpected acting call leads him to a “rental family” agency, where he is hired to step into surrogate roles for strangers seeking connection. As performance blurs into reality, the experience awakens his empathy and compassion, drawing him deeply into his clients’ lives and pulling him off-script whenever his heart takes over.
• From HIKARI, Rental Family has captured the hearts of audiences and critics alike. Following its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it went on to win numerous festival audience awards including at the Chicago, Woodstock, Middleburg, Hawaii and Heartland Film Festivals. Our own Bill Gowsell thought that the film was “quite simply a masterpiece.” You can find out more in his full review of Rental Family. 
• Directed, co-written and produced by HIKARI, Rental Family also stars Emmy nominee Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, newcomer Shannon Mahina Gorman, who was nominated for a CCA Award for her performance in the film, and iconic actor Akira Emoto.
• Rental Family arrives on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ on February 18. 

A Warm Reception: 

• Rental Family has been well-received as a warm and thoughtful drama with heartfelt performances from Fraser and the cast, all against the distinct and special cultural backdrop. 
• Many critics appreciate the emotional tone and Fraser’s lead turn, with audiences reacting on sites like Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a very high approval. 
• Fraser’s performance is often singled out as the emotional anchor of the film, with his warmth and vulnerability driving the film’s story.