small-town vs. big-city

His films like Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks expose the darkness and surrealism lurking beneath small-town American surfaces, contrasting rural innocence with hidden corruption.

His neorealist works depict the economic struggles and social alienation of working-class people in small towns and cities, highlighting how location shapes human dignity and opportunity.

Nomadland and The Rider examine the tension between rootlessness and community, exploring how individuals navigate isolation in small towns versus the transience of modern urban and rural life.