ambition and redemption

His films consistently explore morally compromised protagonists seeking redemption through violence and faith, as seen in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Departed.

He depicts ambitious characters consumed by obsession who face psychological collapse and spiritual redemption, exemplified in The Wrestler, Black Swan, and The Fountain.

His psychological horror films examine how ambition and trauma intertwine, forcing characters toward devastating self-reckoning and transformative catharsis in Hereditary and Midsommar.