masculinity and ambition

His films obsessively explore masculine ambition, competition, and the moral costs of striving for power through characters like Travis Bickle, Henry Hill, and Jordan Belfort.

He examines masculinity through existential and poetic lenses, questioning ambition's meaning and exploring male desire, violence, and spiritual yearning across landscapes and time.

His work deconstructs masculine power dynamics and ambition within systems of exploitation, sexuality, and social hierarchy with raw psychological intensity.