Although it is just plain fun to rank a director's movies, it may also help me think about the director's oeuvre of work as a whole. Comparisons can help me to discover elements of film that I am drawn to, what the director finds value in revealing through their movies and possibly how the director has grown artistically.
Zhao often makes movies about people who are a part of American subcultures that are rarely depicted on screen. Since these people are not a part of majority culture they are also on the economic fringes of society and face the kinds of problems that come with few financial opportunities.
Zhao shows the beauty of these people and the specifics of their…
