Daniel Zheng

Contributing Writer

Review

'The Seed of the Sacred Fig': the non-banality of evil

By Daniel Zheng | September 19

Upon hearing the setup of Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s latest film, one might be forgiven if they immediately begin hearing the echoes of Hannah Arendt’s famous “banality of evil” that permeated the film world amidst the buzz of “The Zone of Interest” around a year ago.

66bfa5a7c5bdcc3a8107ddef_Mikey Madison as Anora.png

Review

‘Anora’: overstimulated alienation in Sean Baker’s sex-work romp

By Daniel Zheng | September 15

The synopsis of Sean Baker’s “Anora,” winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, describes one more spin on the “Cinderella story” — this time as a sex-work dramedy. But underneath the film’s fantasy is a hard-hitting commentary on the intractable gaps between different social classes. ...

Solutions by The State News

Daniel Zheng

'The Seed of the Sacred Fig': the non-banality of evil

‘Anora’: overstimulated alienation in Sean Baker’s sex-work romp

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