modernization and tradition

His films consistently juxtapose traditional Japanese values with the pressures of modernization, most notably in *Ikiru* and *Rashomon*.

He captures the tension between fading colonial traditions and rapid urban modernization in films like *In the Mood for Love* and *2046*.

His provocative cinema critiques both contemporary society and ritualistic traditions through surreal, dystopian narratives in *The Killing of a Sacred Deer* and *Poor Things*.