Family Romance, LLC

"Followers, friends, family. All available for hire."

2019 1h 50m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 78

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Love is a business at Family Romance, a company that rents human stand-ins for any occasion. Founder Yuichi Ishii helps make his clients’ dreams come true. But when the mother of 12-year-old Mahiro hires Ishii to impersonate her missing father, the line between acting and reality threatens to blur.

“Followers, friends, family. All available for hire.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

MUBISubscription

MUBI Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Yuichi Ishii
Yuichi Ishii
Mahiro Tanimoto
Mahiro
Miki Fujimaki
Mahiro's Mother
Takashi Nakatani
Father of Bride / Lottery Official
Yuka Watanabe
Bride
Jin Kuroinu
Ishii's Friend
Airi Coats
Mahiro's Little Friend
Shun Ishigaki
Pantomime

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Werner Herzog
Writers: Werner Herzog
Languages: Japanese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Werner Herzog, shot by Werner Herzog. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ernst Reijseger. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sean Scannell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yuichi Ishii and Mahiro Tanimoto and Miki Fujimaki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Followers, friends, family. All available for hire.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt10208194 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 78 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Werner Herzog directs. Werner Herzog behind the camera. Ernst Reijseger scores. Sean Scannell cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 7 years ago.
2Directed by Werner Herzog, shot by Werner Herzog. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Ernst Reijseger. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Sean Scannell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Yuichi Ishii and Mahiro Tanimoto and Miki Fujimaki carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Followers, friends, family. All available for hire.".
7IMDB entry: tt10208194 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 78 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Werner Herzog
Original score: Ernst Reijseger
Editing: Sean Scannell
Sound: Mark Mangini
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Family Romance, LLC (2019)

Also by

Werner Herzog

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2025-03-26
★ 6/10
As much as I love Herzog and his particular guerilla film style, this one left me cold. I've been in Japan and can totally believe that someone would hire a father of the bride. The characters are not quite believable.

Production companies