academic ambition

His films like 'School Daze' and 'Da 5 Bloods' explore the pressures, contradictions, and systemic barriers within academic and intellectual pursuits.

His works consistently examine the psychological toll of educational ambition on families and children, particularly in 'Like Father, Like Son' and 'Shoplifters'.

His socially conscious films like 'Kes' and 'I, Daniel Blake' critique how class structures limit educational opportunity and ambition.