His films like 'In the Mood for Love' and '2046' explore illicit desire, forbidden relationships, and the melancholic tension between lovers trapped in social constraints.

Works such as 'Lust, Caution' and 'Brokeback Mountain' examine transgressive desire, power imbalances, and relationships existing outside conventional social structures.

His films including 'Barry Lyndon' and 'Eyes Wide Shut' probe themes of marital infidelity, jealousy, and the darker psychological dimensions of hidden affairs and desire.