regret and missed opportunities

His films are suffused with melancholic romanticism where characters are perpetually haunted by past loves and the roads not taken, particularly evident in 'In the Mood for Love' and 'Chungking Express'.

He masterfully portrays ordinary lives touched by regret and lost time, exploring how people reckon with choices made and unmade, as seen in 'Tokyo Story' and 'Shoplifters'.

His 'Before' trilogy and 'Boyhood' deeply examine how chance encounters and life decisions ripple across time, capturing the bittersweet reality of paths chosen and opportunities missed.