parental expectations

His films like 'Like Father, Like Son' and 'Shoplifters' intimately explore the tensions between biological and chosen family, and the burdens of parental expectations across generations.

His visceral horror films, particularly 'Hereditary,' examine how parental trauma and unmet expectations haunt and shape children's identities and futures.

Her films like 'You Were Never Really Here' and 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' depict the psychological damage inflicted by absent, neglectful, or impossibly demanding parental figures.