Richard Online

REVIEW: Sirat ★★☆☆☆

March 12, 2026

Sirat is a 2025 Spanish road film, directed and co-written by Óliver Laxe (with Santiago Fillol). Its many co-producers included Pedro and Agustin Almodóvar, which may be what drew me to it in the first place. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was released in the UK on 27 February.

Luis (Sergi López) and his son Esteban (Bruno Núñez Arjona) travel to a rave held in a Moroccan desert in search of his missing daughter. To begin with we spend about fifteen minutes at the rave, where our protagonists hand out pictures of the missing girl to ravers who, whilst mildly sympathetic, would clearly rather be getting on with their raving. There is a lot of noisy drum and bass music and, whilst I can’t help thinking that both drummers and bassists can be summarised as ‘people who like to hang out with musicians’, I have to admit it is quite atmospheric. However, Luis and son have no luck with their quest until a group of ravers tell them that another rave will be taking place deeper in the desert in a few day’s time, and that she could be there.

Then the army turn up and turn the music off and tell everyone to go home because there is a state of emergency and so this is now a restricted area – I know, we’ve all had parties like that … It later turns out that it is (might be) the beginning of World War III – I kid you not!

Anyway, Luis and son take off in their tiny van following the small group of ravers who told them about the next rave, because they are clearly not the types to be put off by a load of blokes in uniform pointing guns at them when there is the chance of a drive across the desert, for which they are magnificently ill-equipped, in search of more bangin’ music (literally).

So why did the girl run off in the first place – she didn’t – she is an adult and she just left, but she will be pleased to see us. Really???

I should say that about three-quarters of the way in, the film stops being as predictable as it had been up to that point: lots of surprising stuff happens, which make it a bit more interesting. However, the film’s problems are too big for the late twists to save it. There is a very sketchy plot, little or no depth of character, and very little to believe in or care about. Arjona, as Esteban, is a bit of a find – I thought he was really good – but apart from that, the acting is nothing to write home about either.

Is Sirat worth seeing? Unfortunately, not really.

Wait a minute, do I hear you say? But it has 91% on Rotten Tomatoes! Yes, but the audience score is way down at 67%. I have a theory about that – where the critics percentage and the audience percentage are a long way adrift, there is an issue. For art-house films such as this, the critics’ reviews will likely inform potential audience of whether or not it is their sort of thing. Consequently, where the audience figure is a long way below the critics, one should be a little wary, since that is the opinion of the audience who decided it was their sort of thing. Sadly, I did not heed this invisible warning.
REVIEW: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You ★★★☆☆

March 11, 2026

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a 2025 American drama film, written and directed by Mary Bronstein (her second directorial feature following a seventeen-year gap). It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025 and was released in the UK in February 2026.

Linda (Rose Byrne) is stretched to breaking point. She holds down a challenging job as a psychotherapist whilst acting as sole-carer for her young daughter, who has a serious eating disorder that necessitates feeding through a tube and daily hospital attendance. And then her ceiling collapses. This necessitates a (protracted) temporary move to a motel, while her landlord fails to make the necessary repairs. She is not a single-parent, but she might as well be – her husband Charles works as some kind of ship’s captain. His primary role seems to be to shout at Linda over the telephone at regular intervals, adding significantly to her stress.

Having just read that paragraph back, it sounds like I didn’t really like the film, but that is not the case. I enjoyed it. I particularly admired Byrne’s performance, which perfectly demonstrated life on the edge, continually having to respond to the escalating needs of her daughter and her somewhat difficult clients, whilst getting little or no support from her husband or indeed her own therapist, a colleague (Conan O’Brien), who somehow fails to notice her desperation. The only respite comes in the form of drugs and alcohol, supplied with the help of motel superintendent James (A$AP Rocky), who shows Linda some sympathy, although he seems to have ulterior motives.

I think what I needed was some light and shade. The problem with any film about a relentless situation for me is, well, basically, its relentlessness. There seemed to be too much too soon – I wanted time to absorb some of it. For example, there seemed to be some kind of link (probably in Linda’s head) between the hole in the ceiling and the feeding hole in her daughter’s stomach – but I never really worked that one out. But maybe that is just me – I like a slow-burn, and this was definitely a ‘fast-Byrne’. Having said all that, Byrne deserves her best actress nomination, and, in my opinion, she deserves to win the Oscar.

One final issue. The very last shot of the film left me thinking I had misunderstood something – did I now have to re-evaluate everything I had seen from a newly perceived viewpoint? But having now read the Director’s comments in an interview, it seems this was not the case – I just have to question what in my opinion is an utterly bizarre piece of casting (which probably irritated me enough to turn three-and-a-half stars into three rather than four).

Is If I Had Legs I’d Kick You worth seeing? Yes, for sure – it is worth seeing for Rose Byrne’s performance alone. Is it a great film? Unfortunately, not quite.
REVIEW: The President’s Cake ★★★★☆

March 1, 2026

The President’s Cake is a 2025 Iraqi drama, written and directed by Hasan Hadi (his directorial feature debut). It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and was released in the UK last Friday, 27 February.

The film is set in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in the early 1990s, following the invasion of Kuwait and the American led liberation of that country some seven months later. Immediately following the invasion, economic sanctions had been imposed by a number of western countries and these stayed in place for over a decade. The action takes place over a three-day period from 26 April to 28 April, although the precise year is not specified. So how do we know the exact dates, I hear you say? 28 April was Saddam Hussein’s birthday, and in order to celebrate this, each school was required to select one pupil to bake a birthday cake.

The film follows nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef) who on 26 April, two days before the President’s birthday, is unlucky enough to have her name drawn out of the hat as the pupil responsible for baking the cake for her tiny school. She lives in abject poverty in the Mesopotamian Marshes with her grandmother, Bibi (Waheed Thabet Khreiba). Their poverty would have meant that the price of the ingredients would have been unaffordable at the best of times but, at the height of sanctions when food is scarce and prices exorbitant, the task is nigh on impossible.

However, failure is not an option and so, the following day, Lamia and Bibi set out for Baghdad with their few possessions, a watch and a transistor radio, to attempt to barter them to rustle up the money for the cake ingredients.

I would like to report that this is a beautiful story about triumph over adversity, and in some ways, it is just that; it is a story about good people in difficult circumstances. However, it is also a story about evil: the evil that is ever present in Hussein’s regime, the specific evil of sexual predators, and the potential for casual evils present within ordinary people. It is also a stark reminder that imposing economic sanctions hurts the poor people of a country much more than its rulers.

Nayyef’s performance is wonderful and Hadi’s down-to-earth unsentimental storytelling works extremely well. I look forward to his next film.

The President’s Cake at times makes for uncomfortable viewing but is a warm and generous piece of filmmaking that will stay in the memory for a long time.
REVIEW: The Secret Agent ★★★★★

February 22, 2026

The Secret Agent is a 2025 Brazilian political drama, written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. For the avoidance of doubt, it is nothing to do with Joseph Conrad’s novel of the same name. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and was released in the UK last Friday, 20 February.

The film is set in 1977, during the political turmoil of the Brazilian military dictatorship. Corruption is everywhere and life is certainly cheap: under the cover of the annual carnival in Recife, a city about the size of Birmingham, the death toll approaches three figures. Former professor and widower Armando Solimões (Wagner Moura) arrives in the city where his young son, Fernando, has been living with his dead wife’s parents. Whilst by no means a political activist, he has crossed swords with the dictatorship in the form of corrupt Government Minister Henrique Castro Ghirotti (Luciano Chirolli) and there is now a price on his head.

Despite the film’s title, Solimões is no James Bond; he is an ‘ordinary’ academic in an impossible situation; consequently, he is a character to whom we can relate. Informed by former anarcho-communist Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria) that his life is in danger and that his name is on a banned-from-travel list, he adopts an alias, Marcelo, and sets about obtaining the necessary false papers to allow him and Fernando to flee the country.

The film is peopled with a colourful cast of characters, beautifully realised, many of whom are crying out to be the heroes of their own films, in particular: the aforementioned Dona Sebastiana, local police chief Euclides (Robério Diógenes), hit-man Augusto Borba (Roney Villela) and his sidekick Bobbi Borba (Gabriel Leone), who happens to be his son. There are numerous subplots, if that is the correct word, including a man-eating shark, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who is mistakenly assumed to be a Nazi fugitive (Udo Kier in his last role), and a murder at a petrol station during a memorable opening sequence. These characters and events are woven together skilfully by Filho to form a picture of life in Brazil in the 1970s and to set the scene for Solimões’ story.

The film has been nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Leading Actor for Wagner Moura. However, it has somehow not been nominated for either Best Director or Best Original Screenplay – very strange – one would have thought at least one of those two would be necessary for a Best Picture nomination.

The Secret Agent is a rich, complex, multi-layered film which makes the viewer work hard to understand what is happening and, perhaps more importantly, why it is happening. It runs 161 minutes, although it never drags – it is compulsive viewing: however difficult it is to fathom, one finds oneself desperate to work it out. I think I am just about there, however I plan to go again later this week, because I think I have more to understand, and it is certainly worth the effort.
REVIEW: The Chronology of Water ★★★★☆

February 12, 2026

The Chronology of Water is a 2025 biographical psychological drama, directed by Kristen Stewart (her directorial feature debut), based on the 2011 memoir of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch. Sources seem to vary as to whether the screenplay was wholly written by Stewart or co-written with Yuknavitch’s ex-husband Andy Mingo. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and was released in the UK last Friday, 6 February.

Edvard Munch famously set out to capture in his paintings the memory, emotional atmosphere, and psychological state of a moment rather than its realistic likeness; it felt to me that this is how Stewart had approached making this film. She does not simply document the abuse Lidia (Imogen Poots) suffered at the hands of her father and the effect this had on her life but somehow manages to show Lidia’s resulting emotional journey.

I am not going to try to sum up the plot myself, but rather quote Yuknavitch’s own words, from an essay she wrote about her personal response to reading Kathy Acker’s novel Blood and Guts in High School:

“The decade during which I most wanted to kill myself contained coming to terms with my father’s transgressions by embarking on a sexually frenzied odyssey, a drug-induced epic world tour of counter-cultures, free-flowing abortions and aberrations and unending altered states, an abysmally failed marriage, flunking out of college, a self-loathing crescendo culminating in a daughter who died the day she was born. For this reason, Kathy Acker’s book saved my life.”

I confess that I had not come across Yuknavitch before seeing this film and am thus unfamiliar with her writing – I will try to put that right.

Imogen Poots performance in the role of Lidia is raw and brutal, heartbreaking and at times almost unbearable to watch. It is a tremendous achievement.

The Chronology of Water makes for very uncomfortable viewing but is a remarkable piece of filmmaking and will stay in the memory for a long time.
REVIEW: Saipan ★★★☆☆

February 2, 2026

Saipan is a 2025 Irish fact-based sports drama, directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa, from a screenplay by Paul Fraser. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, was released in Ireland on Boxing Day, and in the UK on Friday 23 January.

The film is about the personality clash in the Republic of Ireland national football team between captain Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) and manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) which led to the notorious Saipan incident in the build up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

My memory of the incident is limited – after all it was almost a quarter of a century ago and, although a football fan, I am not Irish. In my recollection of events, Keane had behaved in some way inappropriately and McCarthy had sent him home before the tournament began. However, the film tells a very different story.

Summarising what I saw, Keane wanted the Irish to take the tournament seriously, rather than be treated as loveable also-rans. He was an accomplished footballer and athlete and expected his team-mates to be the same. The Irish FA had completely failed to prepare properly and consequently the facilities on the island of Saipan, where they were to train and acclimatise prior to the finals in Japan, were hopelessly inadequate. Keane blamed McCarthy for this, and this led to an escalating series of clashes between the two egos culminating in Keane leaving. But did he jump or was he pushed?

The problem I have is that this is not a piece of objective journalism but a drama, which seemed to be presented very much from Keane’s perspective. Therefore, if I were to say that I kind of get Keane’s point now, I would have to admit that this may well be that I was simply taken in by the drama.

Hardwicke is excellent as Keane: he looks the part and plays the part with the right level of single-minded aggression that the role requires. Coogan, however seems poorly cast: the problem being that however hard he tries to leave Alan Partridge behind him, traces still remain; he plays McCarthy as a hapless chump who would rather be back home in Barnsley painting a fence.

I felt that this portrayal of McCarthy weakened the drama, however, the failure to flesh out any of the other characters involved (and there was a whole squad present in the background) was more of a problem. It left me with the distinct impression that the film wanted to make a point rather than present the situation.

The subject matter is interesting to football fans and, if you remember the incident and wish to know a little more about it, go along, but whatever you do, do not believe everything you see. If you are looking for a film that stands up as a piece of pure entertainment in its own right, this may not be for you.
REVIEW: Nouvelle Vague ★★★★☆

January 30, 2026

Nouvelle Vague is a 2025 comedy drama, directed by Richard Linklater, from a screenplay by Holly Gent and Vincent Palmo. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May and was released in the UK today, Friday 30 January.

The film is something of a celebration of, perhaps even a love letter to, the spirit of the Nouvelle Vague, the French New Wave of filmmakers in the late 1950s/early 1960s. We begin with a gentle wander around the movement: the Cahiers du Cinema offices, Truffaut’s standing ovation at Cannes for The 400 Blows, sundry trendy Paris parties, etc. We are introduced to all the major players, and get a vague, as opposed to Vague, idea of who they all are. Then we get down to the business proper: a recreation of the making of Godard’s debut film, Breathless (À Bout de Souffle).

We begin with Godard (Guillaume Marbeck) arranging the finer details of finance and script with his producer, Georges de Beauregard (Bruno Dreyfürst). We then move onto the casting: First Jean-Paul Belmondo (Aubry Dullin), then Jean Seberg (Zoey Deutch). And the weird thing is they both look the part; and sound the part; in fact, everybody looks and sounds just right. So, onto the rather chaotic process of the filming itself, all in the masterful hands of cameraman-extraordinaire Raoul Coutard (Matthieu Penchinat).

This film is an absolute delight from start to finish. It somehow manages to capture the spirit of the age, the genius that was Godard (and though I am a Truffaut man to the core, I can still see the genius in Godard), and the huge sense of fun that the cast and crew had when making it. And that sense of fun is infectious.

I strongly recommend you fit this into your busy lives – you will not regret it – you will leave the cinema shouting ‘Moteur Raoul’, and you will even understand what I am talking about. Incidentally, if you do not know Breathless, you will be watching a different film to those that do. I would recommend that you find it and watch it before you see Nouvelle Vague, although I am sure the film will stand alone if you are unable to do that.
REVIEW: No Other Choice ★★★★☆

January 23, 2026

No Other Choice is a 2025 South Korean satirical black comedy thriller, co-written and directed by Park Chan-wook, based on the 1997 American novel The Ax by Donald Westlake. It had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August and was released in the UK today, Friday 23 January.

Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) is a senior papermaker of 25 years standing, working for Solar Paper. He has purchased his childhood home, where he Lives in relative luxury with his beautiful homemaker wife Lee Mi-ri, (Son Ye-jin), their two children, and their two dogs. However, this ideal life is brought to an abrupt end when Solar Paper is bought-out by an American conglomerate, and Man-su is made redundant. He sets himself the target of finding new employment in the paper industry within three months, however thirteen months have gone by, and he is box-shifting in a warehouse for peanuts. When appropriate jobs are advertised, which is rare, there are always other unemployed ex-papermakers who seem better qualified for the positions.

Man-su needs to change the structure of this small specialist labour market to put himself in pole position when the next job comes along. He needs a plan. And what a plan he comes up with! You see the precise moment when the idea comes together in his head – it is a rather wonderful moment! And so this macabre, though often hilarious, satire on the state of the corporate world begins.

What makes this such a great film is that Man-su is entirely unequipped to put into action his own plan, but is determined to do so, regardless. This leads to the most outrageous situations, sometimes farcical, often verging on slapstick, but always fuelled by the desperation of his situation, as he sees it.

I should come clean here – I also worked in the paper industry for (almost) 25 years, although not as a papermaker – my job was to count the profits (FD) – so even looking at the papermaking machinery brings back memories for me.

No Other Choice is very dark, very violent, and very, very funny. I have no hesitation in recommending it, unless dark and violent puts you off, in which case Director Park’s work is probably not for you anyway.
My ‘Top 3 and a Bit’ Films about Football

January 18, 2026

It has been quite some time since my last Top 3 and a bit post, so I felt a new instalment was long overdue. Next Friday, Saipan gets its UK release. It is a film about the notorious ‘Saipan incident’, which led to Irish manager Mick McCarthy sending bad-boy Roy Keane home from the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals before the first ball was even kicked. I am very much looking forward to seeing it, so I decided to do my Top 3 and a bit films about football whilst I wait. Of course, films about football are, by and large, not really about football; they are about coming of age, and growing up, and taking responsibility and, basically, life itself. Philosopher Albert Camus said: “what I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football” – and he was a goalkeeper, so he had plenty of time to think about it!

Anyway, without further ado, here are my Top 3 Films about Football, together with notes on a number of additional films which are worthy of attention:

(1)          Gregory’s Girl (1981 – Bill Forsyth)

Gregory’s Girl is a charming, innocent and very funny coming-of-age romantic comedy which touched the hearts of millions and was included at number 30 in the BFI’s list of the top 100 British films of the 20^th Century. Gregory (John Gordon Sinclair) plays on his school football team. They are very bad, so the coach holds trials to find new players. Along comes Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), who is much better than any of the boys on the team. She is selected in Gregory’s position, and he is relegated to goalkeeper; however, he doesn’t mind – he is completely smitten. She agrees to go on a date with him, but it is no ordinary date, as Susan (Claire Grogan) would no doubt testify. Film critic Roger Ebert said, “maybe only grown-ups should see this movie – it contains so much wisdom about being alive and teenage and vulnerable that maybe it would even be painful for a teenager to see it.”

(2)          The Keeper (2018 – Marcus H. Rosenmüller)

The Keeper is a British-German biopic of Bert Trautmann (David Kross), who went from the Hitler Youth to become a much-decorated German soldier, then spent time as a POW in Lancashire, and stayed on to marry a Lancashire lass, Margaret (Freya Mavor), ultimately becoming Manchester City’s inspirational goalkeeper. All I really knew about Trautmann was the story of the 1956 FA Cup Final (as every schoolboy of my generation did). However, this proved to be much more than a simple biopic; it is a film about the lasting damage done by war, redemption, and, ultimately, the possibility of forgiveness. Trautmann received both the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and an honorary OBE for his work in Anglo-German relations.

(3)          The Damned United (2009 – Tom Hooper)

The Damned United is a fictionalised version of the story of Brian Clough (Martin Sheen) and Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) taking over Leeds Utd after Don Revie’s departure to become England Manager. It is a tale of a clash of styles – Clough and Taylor who wanted to play a cleaner game of football and the ‘dirty’ Leeds players who wanted to carry on in the aggressive approach to the game preferred by Revie. It is not a spoiler to say that Clough failed and was out on his ear after 44 days. Interestingly, Clough and Taylor went on to manage Nottingham Forest with massive success; Revie failed as England manager and finished his career in the Middle East; and Leeds have spent 50 years failing to repeat the success they had under Revie. The film is a fascinating journey into the mindset of charismatic, yet controversial, Brian Clough – “the best manager England never had”.

And the Contenders

The following films are those that came very close to making my Top 3, but did not quite get there (the ‘bit’), listed in alphabetical order:

The Beautiful Game (2024 – Thea Sharrock)

A roller-coaster of a film about the Homeless World Cup, highlighting mental health issues and the importance of sportsmanship, with an unforgettable performance from Bill Nighy. Ultimately, a film about humanity – I cried!

Fever Pitch (1997 – David Evans)

Based on Nick Hornby’s book, and starring Colin Firth and Ruth Gemmel, this is a story about growing up, and understanding that there is more to life than football, set against the background of Arsenal’s 1988/89 (First Division) Championship winning season.

I.D. (1995 – Phil Davis)

Based on a true story, an uncompromising film about football hooliganism, starring Reece Dinsdale as John, a young police officer sent undercover with the hardcore fans of fictional Shadwell Town.

Joyeux Noël (2005 – Christian Carion)

A heartwarming film about the futility of trench warfare, depicting the Christmas truce in 1914, through the eyes of French, German and Scottish troops. It is a lovely uplifting film, although ultimately it is very much a romanticised version of the real events.

The Miracle of Bern (2003 – Sönke Wortmann)

The story of a struggling German family set against the background of the West German national football team’s success in the 1954 World Cup Finals in Switzerland, which was all the more astonishing given that Germany was still struggling both spiritually and economically following the war.

Offside (2006 – Jafar Panahi)

Using humour and intelligence to highlight the ludicrous nature of Iran’s gender laws, a film about a group of girls who try to watch a World Cup qualifying match in Tehran. Director Jafar Panahi faced significant legal and professional punishments from the Iranian government in relation to this film.

Sixty Six (2006 – Paul Weiland)

A comedy-drama recounting the true-life bar mitzvah of director Paul Weiland which took place in London on the day of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final. An excellent performance by Eddie Marsan as the father.

There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble (2000 – John Hay)

More Manchester City, this time in the shape of a young boy playing for a school team who, with the help of a pair of magic boots, gets to play in an inter-schools cup final at Maine Road. Sounds a bit silly? Just go with it, and you won’t regret it. A starry cast including Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Gina McKee and Ben Miller.

United (2011 – James Strong)

From City to United, the story of the ‘Busby Babes’ and the 1958 Munich air disaster, with a star turn from David Tennant as assistant manager Jimmy Murphy. Actually a Television film, but still deserving of its place in the list.

And the rest…

The following are all good films and worth watching, but didn’t come close to troubling my Top 3:

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939 – Thorold Dickinson)

An old-fashioned tongue-in-cheek crime drama, but good fun and the football seemed authentic.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002 – Gurinder Chadha)

A film about a girl from a Punjabi background wanting to play in a women’s football team, very much against the societal norms.

Looking for Eric (2009 – Ken Loach)

Not a Ken Loach masterpiece, but a real crowd pleaser, with an interesting turn from Eric Cantona.

Purely Belter (2000 – Mark Herman)

A film about a couple of loveable Geordie kids, fighting against the odds to make enough money to buy Newcastle United season tickets.

Those Glory Glory Days (1983 – Philip Saville)

Another coming-of-age drama, this time about a group of teenage girls growing-up supporting Tottenham’s 1960/61 double winning side, featuring Danny Blanchflower as himself.

And the rubbish…

These films are worth mentioning simply as a warning – they are very bad!

Green Street (2005 – Lexi Alexander)

Elijah Wood as a football hooligan? A very silly idea – just watch ID instead.

When Saturday Comes (1996 – Maria Giese)

Formulaic and predictable – struggling alcoholic (Sean Bean) gets himself fit and scores the penalty that wins the big game – yawn.

Will (2011 – Ellen Perry)

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 0% – need I say more?

Yesterday’s Hero (1979 – Neil Leifer)

Formulaic and predictable – struggling alcoholic (Ian McShane) gets himself fit and scores the penalty that wins the big game – sound familiar?

I am sure I have missed some great football films. If you know of any which you think I really should watch (i.e. that may deserve a place in my Top 3 and a Bit), please let me know. I will endeavour to find them and watch them. I will review Saipan in a couple of weeks, and report back on whether it makes the grade.
REVIEW: Rental Family ★★★★★

January 16, 2026

Rental Family is a 2025 comedy-drama film directed by Hikari, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Blahut. It had its world premiere in September at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, was shown at the London Film Festival in October (where I first saw it), and went on general release in the UK today, 16 January (when I saw it again).

Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser), an American actor living in Tokyo, searches in vain for a ‘proper’ acting job – it is seven years since he arrived in Japan and his most substantial piece of work in that time has been a Japanese toothpaste commercial. He undertakes a job as ‘Sad American’ for a company called Rental Family, owned by Shinji (Takehiro Hira), and stays with the company, taking on an unusual series of ‘roles’ ‘filling in’ for missing family members and friends.

Unused to this concept (which astonishingly is a real service available in Japan) Phillip finds it difficult to remain objective in his roles, particularly in relation to that of temporary father to Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman), a young half-Japanese girl whose single mother wants to demonstrate a stable family unit to a prospective school, and that of a journalist pretending to write a profile on a retired actor, Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto), who is suffering from dementia, at the behest of his daughter.

Rental Family explores identity, lies, and loneliness in an amusing yet thought-provoking manner. It provides Fraser with an ideal showcase for his touchy-feely talents, and the supporting cast are uniformly excellent.

Films as good as this do not come along too often; it is intelligent, gentle, sweet and lyrical. Do not miss the opportunity to see it on the big screen.