In her landmark essay “The Imagination of Disaster,” published more than 50 years ago, the American writer Susan Sontag discussed cinema’s fondness for depicting the end of society or even mankind. Watching such films is like riding a rollercoaster, Sontag suggested: What might be a dangerous experience can be viewed from a relatively safe position. Now, with the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)stoking our deepest fears, it is little ...