rural versus urban

His neorealist masterpieces like 'Bicycle Thieves' and 'Umberto D.' capture the stark contrast between rural poverty and urban struggle in post-war Italy.

Films like 'Still Walking' and 'Shoplifters' explore the tension between rural family traditions and modern urban alienation in contemporary Japan.

His social realist works including 'Kes' and 'I, Daniel Blake' deeply examine rural communities displaced by urbanization and industrial decline.