self-fulfilling prophecy

His films like Inception and The Prestige explore how belief and expectation shape reality, with characters whose convictions literally manifest their destinies.

His surreal narratives in Synecdoche, New York and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind examine how characters' internal beliefs construct and reconstruct their perceived worlds.

His romantic films like In the Mood for Love depict characters whose unspoken expectations and imagined possibilities become the emotional truth of their relationships.