duty versus desire

His films, particularly 'Tokyo Story' and 'Late Spring', explore the tension between personal happiness and familial obligation with profound emotional restraint.

He dissects the conflict between individual desires and moral/social responsibilities in intimate psychological dramas like 'The Seventh Seal' and 'Winter Light'.

His films such as 'In the Mood for Love' and '2046' visualize the painful struggle between romantic longing and the duties that keep lovers apart.