contest/wish fulfillment

His films like 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'You Can't Take It with You' center on ordinary people achieving their dreams and finding meaning through perseverance and belief.

Works like 'Rashomon' and 'Ikiru' deeply explore human desires, ambitions, and the struggle between wishful thinking and harsh reality, questioning what fulfillment truly means.

His films such as 'Black Swan' and 'The Wrestler' obsessively examine characters consumed by their contests and aspirations, showing how the pursuit of dreams can become psychologically consuming.