government control

His films depict dystopian societies with absurdist bureaucratic control, most explicitly in 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' and 'Poor Things.'

Pioneer of examining totalitarian power and surveillance in works like 'Metropolis' and 'M,' exploring how governments and systems control populations.

His socially conscious films critique government bureaucracy and welfare state control, particularly in 'I, Daniel Blake' and 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley.'