His films dissect the human psyche with brutal honesty, exposing ego, self-deception, and the vanity underlying human relationships and moral choices.

He explores vanity and ego through baroque visual spectacle, particularly in films like La Dolce Vita where characters are consumed by appearance, fame, and hollow desires.

His intense character studies reveal how ego and vanity corrode relationships, with protagonists destroyed by their own narcissism and need for emotional dominance.