survival and greed

His films obsessively explore human desperation and the destructive pursuit of impossible dreams against nature's indifference, as seen in *Aguirre* and *Fitzcarraldo*.

He dissects psychological obsession and the consuming hunger for achievement or perfection, culminating in physical and moral decay, particularly in *The Wrestler* and *Black Swan*.

His gritty urban narratives expose how survival instincts and financial desperation corrupt individuals and systems, as powerfully demonstrated in *Dog Day Afternoon* and *Network*.