Romance is a business in Werner Herzog’s latest, Family Romance, LLC.

Inspired by the phenomenon of renting actors to act as stand-ins during important events in the lives of their clients, the real-life Japanese company Family Romance has capitalized on a very niche market. “Family rentals” sound insane – because they are – but Herzog humanizes this need for connection and compassion. In one scenario, a single mother rents a father, played by Family Romance’s founder Yuichi Ishii, to have an ongoing relationship with her preteen daughter Mahiro (Mahiro Tanimoto). Mahiro never met her real father, and this gives her the opportunity to feel a father’s love, even if it’s fabricated. The intention behind this rental is sweet, but things become more unsettling when actors are hired to play paparazzi for a wannabe social media influencer looking for fame, or a rail worker renting a stand-in to accept a reprimanding lecture by his boss. The whole thing is so bizarre but we can’t look away.

A self-proclaimed return to “his filmmaking as a young man,” Family Romance, LLC has the aesthetic and authenticity of a documentary, it shocked me to discover that this is actually scripted. Leaning towards mumblecore, even. We’re not getting any classic Herzog narration here or spontaneous moments, although it may feel like it, this film is pure fiction (although the human for hire agency is, in fact, very real). This directorial approach creates what feels like a documentary/soap opera hybrid, bringing up a mixture of emotions that range from intrigue to uneasiness to fascination.

Family Romance is in the business of creating illusions to make their clients’ lives better. However, those lines become blurred when real emotions start to develop, and “acting the part” starts becoming more harmful than helpful. By the end of the film, Herzog begs the question: How much is “fake” sometimes necessary for human survival?

Now streaming on MUBI.