Armageddon Time – A Deeply Personal Coming-Of-Age Story

James Gray has been on the verge of a major breakout for over a decade. He has shown great potential with every film he directs, but despite working with major stars and gaining a decent following within the film community, he has yet to craft a film breaks into the cultural zeitgeist and earns him the recognition he ultimately deserves. While Ad Astra failed to catch on with audiences or make any noise during awards season, his latest film Armageddon Time seems primed to be the film that finally establishes Gray as a major force within the industry.

With Armageddon Time, Gray follows in the footsteps of many of his contemporaries by crafting a semi-autobiographical recounting of his childhood, yet this is far more fleeting and wistful than purely nostalgic. The film stars relative newcomer Repeta as Paul Graff (a stand-in for Gray), a young boy from a Jewish family growing up in Queens, New York in the early 1980s, during a time when classism and prejudice were especially prominent. Paul is a sheltered sixth-grader who is oblivious to his privilege until he befriends his new classmate named Johnny (Jaylin Webb), an African-American student in an almost entirely white, upper middle-class environment. Paul finds a sense of camaraderie with Johnny but as the pair get up to antics that become increasingly more consequential, he learns important life lessons and realizes that Johnny has to endure certain hardships that he will never have to experience.

Armageddon Time perfectly captures the time in a child’s life when they begin to become truly aware of their surroundings and the cruelty that exists in the world. It’s a takedown of the façade that is the American Dream and a critique of the complex systems in which privilege and prejudice stem from. The film draws parallels between America in the 1980s and the current state of the country, showing that our society may not have made as much progress in eradicating these discriminatory systems as it had hoped.

While Armageddon Time does certainly have a lot on its mind and is relatively serious in tone for the most part, it is multifaceted in the sense that the film also explores the wonder and excitement of childhood, as well as the importance of family. Repeta is a sensation, giving an honest and authentic performance that is the glue that holds the film together. He surrounded by a fantastic cast of A-listers including Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong who are both fantastic as Paul’s parents Esther and Irving. However, the supporting performance that truly stands out is Anthony Hopkins as Paul’s kindhearted grandfather Aaron who is his closest connection within the family

At the end of the day, Armageddon Time may be Gray’s best work to date, delivering a detailed and deeply personal portrait of his childhood that isn’t afraid to look back on the moments of hardship that made him who he is today. It is a remarkable film that is undoubtedly among one the year’s best.

still courtesy of Focus Features

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Tristan French