*Spoliers*
Billy Liar is a kitchen-sinky type movie starring Tom Courtenay as the title character. During the film, Billy imagines himself as a general of the fictional country of Ambrosia which is fighting a war. These fantasies are getting in the way of his life. At the start of the film, we are introduced to Billy awake in bed, already late for work. Instead of rushing to the job, Billy is saluting and we are shown the adoring crowd and military parade.
These disruptive behaviour is similar to what Eli Somer calls "Maladaptive daydreaming". The folks who suffer from MD suffer from complex, detailed, daydreams often with themselves as great figure.
Maladaptive daydreaming limits Billy's life by the end of the film, when instead of running away to London with the only girl who seems to get him, he returns home to dwell in fantasy. The film shows Ambrosia's army marching back with Billy as he returns home.
These kind of lifestyle problems destroy people's lives, and society is only just beginning to look into it now. But this marvellous, little film had it all figured out over 50 years ago.
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