Life mixes tones all the time.
They say you can do honest, sincere work for decades, but you're given in general a 10-year period when what you do touches the zeitgeist - when you're relevant. And I'm aware of that, and I don't want my time to go by.
I like voice-over in films, and most of my films have been voice-over films.
I think cynicism lasts. Sentimentality ages, dates quickly.
The most heinous shift in American films is that they reinforce good things like 'couples' and 'relationships.'
If you're trying to recreate life, the life that you best know is the one you grew up with.