The title implies that the story will be told from the perspective of someone who is neighbors with the Yamadas, and yet, that never happens. It's solely focused on the family...no one else.
Sure, some neighbors and the community come into play at times, but they certainly aren't focused on near enough to be in the title of the film--and they're numerous people, not one person warranting "My".
So...what do you think, why is it called what it's called?
The film is based around a very ordinary family in Japan.
With ordinary people experiencing everyday events.
The Yamada family can be anyone really.
I always thought "My" referred to us, the audience. We are looking into the lives of these people who could very well be our next door neighbors.
As a Korean, I could relate to many stories from the film and felt that it was a realistic portrayal of an average family in Eastern Asia.
It's a very good film and makes me nostalgic of my own childhood, how things were with my family.
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down and a Wagging Finger of Shame
Hm. Interesting. Maybe it comes down to a translation error...
If it said Our Neighbors the Yamadas I could see that. But saying "My" implies that someone specific is neighbors with them in the film. Again, probably just poor word choice!
You're the neighbour, I'm the neighbour, we're all the neighbours. It means, this is a film, or rather a series of sketches, about ordinary everyday people such as ourselves.
Tonari means near, next-door, beside; it doesn't necessarily mean actual people. On my desk my coffee cup is tonari my keyboard.