Nicolas Winding Refn criticises "insanity that is Donald Trump"

Director Nicolas Winding Refn believes that the present situation in the United States mirrors that of a "dystopian reality TV show".

Refn, best known for directing films such as "Drive", "Only God Forgives" and "Neon Demon", penned an essay in The Guardian, slamming the presidency of Donald Trump.

"This is a frightening time to be alive. For the past six months, I've been shooting in America, and it seems increasingly clear we're now living in a dystopian reality TV show. America has always had a tendency towards the operatic but, fuelled by the hand grenade of insanity that is Donald Trump, it's reached new heights of hysteria. This means even the smallest developments are heralded as either the end of the world or the second coming," Refn wrote.

"It's terrifying. It is also thrilling. We are appalled by what we witness unfolding each day essentially, the destruction of the American way of life by its own administration but we're also inescapably gripped by it. This is a very exciting time in our history," he added.

The Danish director spent the last several months in the US filming for his Amazon television series "Too Old to Die Young".

According to Refn, Americans need to "embrace such an apocalyptic time".

"Whenever there's any kind of enormous global shakeup, there's bound to be paranoia and insanity, but out of earthquakes come opportunities. Even Trump's fierce arrogance and distaste for his fellow man is good. It's revealed how many people and politicians share such a view, and our exposure to such hypocrisy is healthy."