The new film by Werner Herzog will receive a free online preview in the UK and Ireland next month courtesy of MUBI.
Family Romance, LLC will be officially released for MUBI members on the streaming platform on July 4, after 24 hours of free streaming.
The preview event will also offer an exclusive introduction and 15-minute Q&A interview with Herzog, who directed the film and also served as writer and cinematographer.
The virtual preview will be available to stream in over 150 countries, including the US, Canada, India and Australia.
The film, based on true events, follows a Tokyo-based company offering stand-ins for absent family members and friends, available to rent.
Herzog blends fiction and fact in the film, as it centres on fictional company founder Yuichi Ishii as he becomes involved in a more personal matter when the mother of a 12-year-old hires him to impersonate her missing ex-husband.
Family Romance, LLC follows films from Herzog including Aguirre, The Wrath of God, Cave of Forgotten Dreams. The film premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews.
Werner Herzog, who recently starred in Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian, said he could not consider Baby Yoda cute, instead calling it “a phenomenal achievement of sculpting mechanically”.
He added: “When I saw this, it was so convincing, it was so unique. And then the producers talked about, Shouldn’t we have a fallback version with green screen and have it be completely digitally created? I said to them: It would be cowardly. You are the trailblazers. Show the world what you can do.
He then repeated: “Not cute. It’s heartbreaking.”
All the information about the upcoming Family Romance, LLC preview can be found at mubi.com/herzog.
