Rental Family

An interesting movie about Japanese culture and a critique of actors.

Straight to the point: is it woke? No.

Does it have woke elements? Yes. That’s why I add a point for how much of that it has.

That said, the movie stands out mainly because of its subject matter. The woke content it includes is lightly woven into the story to help it move forward and build the narrative, not to shove a political message down your throat, even though the core theme is rooted in a socio-political critique of Japan.

Even so, it’s handled with respect.

Other films have already tackled the idea of “rent-a-family” from a Western perspective, like Lost in Translation, but not like this and, honestly, this one is much better. On top of that, the lead isn’t a smug actor just playing himself, like Bill Murray. I mention that movie because it touches on depression too, which is also explored here, but in a much more positive way and from a more authentic viewpoint, since the director is Japanese. You can feel the love for her country, coming across as constructive criticism rather than the destructive kind we’re used to in the West.

A solid drama. Not perfect, but watchable.

Surprisingly good indie movie. Some great performances and good writing. More of a dramedy than comedy so if your expecting a laugh fest you may be disappointed. The humor is there and it has some funny moments but that's not really the focus. Also some great cinematography of Japan. I think a general knowledge of Japanese culture may make this a bit more enjoyable but definitely not a requirement. The only thing woke is one scene at the beginning. He pretends to marry a young Japanese woman than tells her parents they are moving to Canada so she can get away from her parents and be with her lesbian lover without having to tell them. There is also a lesbian kiss in this scene. It's one short scene and has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. It feels like a throwaway virtue signal given there is nothing at all in the rest of the movie. Overall great movie and highly recommended if you like lite comedy with your drama. However be aware a large part of this (at least half if not more) is in Japanese with subtitles. If you don't enjoy subtitled movies you may not like this.