tradition vs. progress

His films repeatedly pit traditional Japanese values against modernization, most notably in *Ikiru* and *Rashomon*, examining how progress challenges cultural identity.

He explores the spiritual and philosophical costs of technological progress against timeless human traditions in *Stalker*, *Mirror*, and *Nostalgia*.

His meditative films like *The Assassin* and *Café Lumière* poetically document how rapid modernization erodes traditional ways of life in East Asia.