resourcefulness

His films obsessively document humans pushing against impossible limits with makeshift solutions and sheer will, from dragging a steamship over a mountain to surviving in hostile landscapes.

He repeatedly depicts characters triumphing through improvisation and clever problem-solving under extreme constraints, most notably in Seven Samurai and Rashomon.

Her films explore survival and adaptation in extreme conditions, with characters finding creative ways to endure colonialism, isolation, and physical/emotional hardship through ingenuity and persistence.