irony and misfortune

His films expose the darkly ironic gap between human desires and reality, where characters' own choices lead to their downfall, as in Sunset Boulevard and The Apartment.

He masterfully blends irony with psychological torment, creating narratives where characters are trapped by the cruel ironies of their circumstances, most evident in Perfect Blue and Paprika.

His films revel in absurdist irony where well-intentioned or selfish characters encounter indifferent, chaotic misfortune that undermines their schemes, exemplified by No Country for Old Men and Fargo.