Meet the Critic: Zachary Lee

In the Chicago Critics Film Festival’s new “Meet the Critic” series, we’re introducing our readers to some of the many talented members of our Chicago-area print, online and broadcast critics group, which celebrates the art of film and film criticism.

In today’s feature, meet Zachary Lee, a freelance film and culture writer based in Chicago. You can read his work at places like RogerEbert, Interview Magazine, Letterboxd, Inverse, The Chicago Reader, Dread Central, and The National Catholic Reporter where he frequently writes about the intersection between popular culture and spirituality.

Find him hopelessly attempting to catch up on his watchlist over on Letterboxd, and read his answers to our inaugural Meet the Critic Q&A below.

How has being based in Chicago informed your criticism? 

Chicago is not a city in want of wonders and simply being here forces me to pay attention to what's around me with a posture of curiosity; I bring that inquisitiveness into my criticism. I've also been grateful for the community of critics here in Chicago. I'm always inspired by what my fellow colleagues have to write and say, but some I've even had the privilege to call friends. It's in conversations with said friends that I've found my understanding of a project and film is enriched.

What’s a title from our line-up that you’re excited for people to see? (or a title that the festival has programmed in the past that you’ve loved)

I cannot wait for people to see It Ends, Desert Road, and Lurker; those are in my top 10 of 2025 as of this writing and I anticipate them staying on that list by the year's end. 

What’s a piece that you’ve written that you’re most proud of and why? 

If I can selfishly highlight two: I'm proud of a conversation for RogerEbert.com I was able to have with Ryan Coogler about Sinners; it was a gift to hear him talk about his choices around depicting Chicago as a sort of haunting spectre in the film. I'm also proud of a piece I wrote for The National Catholic Reporter about Love Lies Bleeding, where I broke down how it grafted spiritual imagery onto characters caught in the throes of desire.

Follow Zachary at Letterboxd, X, Bluesky, and Instagram.