water nymphs

His films frequently feature ethereal female characters emerging from water and aquatic settings, most notably in Death in Venice and The Innocent, where water serves as a liminal space for desire and transformation.

He extensively explored mythological water nymphs and mermaids in works like Orphée and The Testament of Orpheus, blending classical mythology with surrealist aesthetics and dreamlike aquatic imagery.

His meditative films use water as a mystical, transcendent element populated by elusive feminine presences, particularly in Mirror and Stalker, where aquatic spaces embody spiritual and psychological depths.