How much do we really know about anyone? This thought, the basis of many a paranoid delusion, is grounded in a human fact: We are all locked inside our own heads, communicating only a small fraction of our thoughts and feelings to others, when we are not actively misrepresenting them.
But for the characters in Isao Yukisada's ensemble drama "Parade," the love and trust that are the surest escapes from our isolation are in short supply.
Based on a novel by Shuichi Yoshida, the film begins with a setup for a "Friends"-like sitcom: Four 20-somethings share a cramped apartment in urban Tokyo. Strangers before they moved in, they are casually familiar, but not really close. Also, they are distinctly different in personality and outlook.