Interviews With "Rental Family" Filmmaker Hikari & Star Akira Emoto

The Next Best Picture Podcast

Tv & Film

4.2 • 542 Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"Rental Family" is a comedy-drama film directed by Hikari, who co-wrote the script with Stephen Blahut, starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, and Akira Emoto. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its direction, writing, and heartwarming performances. Hikari and Emoto were both kind enough to spend a few minutes speaking with Ema Sasic and Giovanni Lago, respectively, about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is scheduled to be released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on November 21st. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There once was a woman who lived in a shoe.
0:03.0	A size too snug, but what could she do?
0:06.0	But that's not where her story ends.
0:08.0	Thanks to a little help from her Experian friends,
0:11.0	she got her score into much better shape
0:13.0	and relocated to a box fresh new place,
0:16.0	with room to grow and a mortgage to suit.
0:19.0	Now, she lives in a spacious four-bedroom cowboy boots.
0:23.3	Better your Experian credit score to help get mortgage ready.
0:26.5	Experian.
0:27.5	Better your score.
0:28.7	Better your story.
0:30.0	You are listening to The Next Best Picture podcast, and this is Emma Sassick's interview
0:34.5	with the director and writer for rental family, Hikari, and Giovanni
0:39.0	Lago's interview with one of the film's stars, Akira Imoto.
0:42.9	Lerrein Blyto!
0:44.2	Ska-do!
0:45.2	Svato!
0:46.2	The market here isn't the same anymore.
0:50.5	It's half the rate, twice the work.
0:55.8	But I got you a gig, and the pay is actually pretty good.
1:00.0	What's my part?
	...

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