fable

America’s addiction to fable over fact and common sense has brought us closer to the superhero’s unreality, minus the powered-up vigilantes.

Yet the bench survives, in the spirit of Gothic fables and improbable Hollywood endings everywhere.

Milchick launches into a fable of “ancient times” when the king of Sweden would disguise himself in an old gray robe and walk among his people to get a sense of their grievances.

The loosely Roman-themed fable about an architect in a futuristic New York was anathema to major studios, leaving Coppola to shoulder much of the financial risk himself.

Two more films followed, with 2019’s seafaring tale “The Lighthouse” and the epic 2022 Viking fable “The Northman” revealing new strengths in writing and directing that hadn’t been immediately visible in Eggers’ debut.