parental absence

His social realist films persistently examine how poverty and systemic failure force parental absence, particularly in works like 'I, Daniel Blake' and 'Kes'.

He explores parental absence and fractured families with profound emotional nuance in films like 'Shoplifters' and 'Like Father, Like Son', questioning the meaning of parenthood itself.

Her visceral, introspective films such as 'You Were Never Really Here' and 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' delve into maternal absence and its psychological devastation.