coming-of-age darkness

Her films like *We Need to Talk About Kevin* and *You Were Never Really Here* explore the psychological darkness and trauma of youth and adolescence with visceral intensity.

Works such as *Elephant* and *Paranoid Park* examine the alienation, violence, and moral confusion at the heart of teenage existence.

His slow-burn narratives like *4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days* and *Graduation* capture the moral ambiguity and loss of innocence in young adulthood.