success and failure

His films like The Wrestler and Black Swan obsessively explore the psychological toll of ambition, perfectionism, and the thin line between triumph and self-destruction.

Through films like Ikiru and Ran, he examines how success and failure shape human meaning, mortality, and the tragic consequences of unchecked ambition.

His works like There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights dissect the American dream, depicting how the pursuit of success corrupts character and leads to inevitable downfall.