One way to tell how ideological a given sphere of culture has become is to check out how long it takes a typical review of a typical production to link what’s happening on the page or screen to some structural force or bogeyman — late capitalism, white supremacy, neoliberalism — rather than just the human condition. A powerful portrait of how a passionate romance slowly gives way to an unhappy marriage . . . because of the cruel demands of capitalism. A moving depiction of the fraying bond between a father and a son . . . in the age …
This article appears as “Old Pioneers” in the March 22, 2021, print edition of National Review.
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