sexual repression

His films like 'Cries and Whispers' and 'The Seventh Seal' explore psychological torment, guilt, and the internal conflicts arising from sexual and emotional repression within religious and social contexts.

He systematically deconstructed bourgeois morality and sexual hypocrisy through surrealist cinema, most notably in 'Viridiana' and 'Belle de jour,' revealing the dark desires beneath repressive social conventions.

His films like 'There Will Be Blood' and 'Phantom Thread' examine power dynamics, emotional isolation, and the destructive consequences of suppressed desires within intimate relationships.