James Gray’s “Armageddon Time”
Armageddon Time (2022)
Unsentimental autobiography of Gray’s childhood in 1980s Queens is a low key but engaging story of prejudice, injustice and growing up that somehow feels on the cusp of greatness it never quite reaches
After his disasterous experience with “Ad Astra”, James Gray reduces the scale and focuses on an altogether more intimate film in a recollection of his own youth in Queens, New York. Being based on real experiences with some personalities being aggregations of people in Gray’s childhood, it has a modest slice-of-life approach. Some might find some of the moral ambiguity uncomfortable but it’s an honest representation of childhood. There are also points in the film where it runs so contrary to the glossy narratives of Hollywood that you’re left wondering where your endorphins are as the instant gratifcation isn’t there (which is a good thing).
The story revolves around Paul(Banks Repeta) and his friendship with Johnny(Jaylin Webb) who strike up a connection when confronted with a racist and authoritarian teacher played by Andrew Polk, a performance that gave me flashbacks. It’s interesting how the film approaches racism from contrasting between how Paul and Johnny are treated to seeing the cultural influences on each of them be it the grades of racism within Paul’s Jewish family to Johnny’s dreams being pushed down by some black youths on the metro. It’s disheartening, but the two of them prop eachother up but the dark forces are relentless. In addition to each other, Paul has his grandfather, Aaron(Anthony Hopkins) who acts as a much-needed moral compass while Johnny has his grandmother who he is in danger of losing.
Overall, it’s a solid film. The performances are consistently strong particularly the leads and Anne Anne Hathaway as Paul’s mother. The story is engaging and the film looks great, but it always feels within touching distance of greatness which it doesn’t quite achieve. Yet the only fault I can leverage toward the film is a couple of overwrought dream sequences which broke the rhythm. Another factor may also be the trailer which I saw prior to watching which gave far too much away. Typically I avoid trailers, but it’s difficult when in the cinema. It’s a stirring little film, but don’t go in expecting any sugarcoating.
