Hikari made her name as a director in 2019 with her first feature, 37 Seconds , which premiered at Berlin. Then she went on to direct episodes of Tokyo Vice and Beef . Now, with her latest film, Rental Family , set in Tokyo, she draws on her heritage and explores themes of exclusion and isolation. In the film, Brendan Fraser stars as struggling American expat Phillip Vandarploeg. While Phillip’s life in Toyko was initially successful, as he acted in lucrative commercials, of late it has palled, turning into loneliness, ennui and a stalled career. But when Phillip lands a job pretending to be a family member of a paying client, his life is radically changed. Hikari reveals how she landed on the film’s subject and Fraser’s dedication to understanding life in Tokyo.

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