paternal abandonment

His social realist films consistently explore working-class family fracture and the emotional devastation of absent or struggling fathers on children.

He examines paternal absence and surrogate family bonds with profound tenderness, particularly in films like 'Like Father, Like Son' and 'Nobody Knows'.

Her films, especially 'You Were Never Really Here' and 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', probe the psychological wounds of paternal absence and neglect.