His films consistently explore the passage of time and longing for lost childhood innocence, most powerfully in Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

His visually poetic works deeply meditate on memory, lost love, and the melancholic beauty of bygone eras, particularly in In the Mood for Love and 2046.

He masterfully captures the quiet ache of aging and nostalgia through long takes and understated performances, exploring how history shapes personal memory in films like The Assassin and Three Times.