appearance and identity

His surrealist narratives constantly blur the boundaries between surface appearance and hidden psychological identities, most notably in Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead.

He explores how social roles and family appearances mask deeper emotional truths and personal desires in everyday Japanese life.

His films celebrate how identity is performative and constructed, with characters reinventing themselves across gender, class, and social expectations, particularly in All About My Mother and The Law of Desire.