The busy and whimsical visual world of dipolar bipolar stuffs each frame with elements to mirror the workings of an anxious mind. As the protagonist recounts their experience of bipolar disorder amid inventive transformations of animation styles, a solid metaphor of self acceptance and balance emerges.
This film screens as part of Shorts Program 2: Animation.[…]
Set in modern-day Tokyo, Rental Family follows an American actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.[…]
