Werner Herzog is a man with many roles. He began his career as a film director in 1968 with Signs of Life, with his latest marking his twentieth fictional feature release.

He’s also quite a prolific film documentarian, having now produced over thirty documentaries.

And if he wasn’t busy enough, he’s an actor to boot. And although he’s very serious about his work, he also has quite a playful nature, as he’s also appeared in Jack Reacher, The Simpsons and Rick and Morty, as well as most recently being quite evil in space with The Mandalorian.

So who better to direct a film that examines the notion of roles and identities in today’s society.

It’s been over ten years since Mahiro (Mahiro Tanimoto) last saw her father. Now twelve, she finds herself having a reunion with him in the picturesque setting of a park that finds its cherry blossom trees in full bloom.

It’s almost a perfect scenario for her to be reunited with her father – or it would be if it were real. Ishii (Ishii Yuichi), isn’t her father at all, but the owner of the business Family Romance, which rents out actors for various occasions. He has been hired by Mahiro’s mother (Miki Fujimaki) to take the place of her missing father, and develop a relationship with her.

It’s a role he feels confident in playing, and believes he can pull off the part. But the more he sees Mahiro, the more he understands that acting as someone’s father comes with more strings attached than he first realised.

Considering how unique Japanese culture is, the premise of this film, however bonkers, is certainly not beyond the realms of impossible in the land of the rising sun. Indeed, you could easily see it as part of one of the myriad of documentaries made, sending various UK presenters there to ogle at its many curiosities, viewed through western eyes.

You get a sense that Herzog is more than aware of this fact, and plays up to it, as he includes some of the actual businesses that already exist, including a robot hotel and a hedgehog cafe. With his background in documentaries, this allows Herzog to playfully blur the line between fact and fiction.

What he also achieves is a morality tale. The act of performing as someone’s father – with the key being that they may not necessarily be aware that he is being played by an actor – is certainly offered with an air of ambiguity initially. It could be seen as a well-meaning illusion, creating a loving scenario where no-one really gets hurt; or it could be more of distasteful trick, that is morally deceitful.

It’s only at the film’s end that Herzog shows his true colours, offering a finale that certainly seems to tip the balance in one direction.

With the German director usually drawn to more grittier material, this is actually lighter in tone than most, unusually so. Yes it does throw up some interesting questions regarding ethics and moralities, but at its heart it’s about a man who believes he’s offering a service that can be hugely beneficial to the well being of his customers.

Ultimately though, It’s Herzog proving that even after all this time, he can still be playful and thought-provoking.