comebacks and redemption

His films obsessively explore spiritual redemption and moral resurrection through flawed protagonists seeking to atone for past sins, as seen in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The Irishman.

He crafts intense psychological narratives about characters clawing their way back from addiction, obsession, and despair, most powerfully in Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler.

His darkly absurdist films examine how individuals navigate alienation and attempt to reclaim agency and connection in fractured systems, particularly in The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Poor Things.