The car ride from the theater was a journey from one battlefield to another. The roaring applause still echoed in Lena’s ears, a ghost of triumph drowned out by the silent, screaming headlines on her phone. The article was a poison-tipped arrow, meticulously aimed. It didn’t just allege financial misconduct; it wove a narrative of hypocrisy, painting her as the very kind of corrupt elite her film so passionately decried.

“They’re not fighting the art,” Daniel said, ...