Arrested Development

This is Ozu's greatest marriage drama*. Noriko lives at her widowed father's house until society practically forces them apart. The father lies so Noriko will have a life of her own; perhaps Ozu, a man who lived virtually his whole life with his mother, believed they gave up greater happiness for social conformity.
* This is a stand in for all of Ozu's marriage dramas.

I felt incredibly embarrassed watching this.. not for Pupkin, but how like him I thought if only I became famous, they'd be sorry.

Satou is a shut-in who eventually is weened off his parents' income and is pushed by his girlfriend to grow up; that's the series' greatest fault. His journey is a poignant one, especially when he looks ahead to his future.

Watashi spends the most of this series brooding and feeling like he missed out on his formative years, because of his 'evil' friend. By reliving his alternate pasts he discovers he isn't alone in his doubts, and becomes more empathetic instead of lashing out at the faults of people he didn't even bother to know. He breaks through a circle connecting his different lives. (He comes full circle, realizing the life he spent looking for the meaning of life instead of making a choice was the least meaningful. Perhaps the circle was zen imagery and represented his circle of friends.)

Being There suggests we all see the world with such wishfulness and self importance; we see it in our own image.

Dark Horse' comedy reveals 'man-children' are essentially lazy and self deluded. Like a teenager he believes if it wasn't for his parents fucking him up, he'd have gone places. He chose not to apply himself. So, he buys into adulthood with the same halfhearted detachment, without realizing until it's too late, childish joys and detachment didn't make him happy.

* This is a stand in for all the Adam Sandler movies I've seen.