by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
Writer-director James Gray’s Armageddon Time tells the story of Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), a young, Jewish boy from New York City whose complex relationships with his friends and family lead him down a painful journey of adolescent growth.
Gray is hardly the first director to make a coming-of-age film influenced by his own childhood — in fact, such films have become so commonplace in recent years that one wonders if it has not developed into a subgenre of its own. In the last five years, we have seen the better part of a dozen such films, including Lady Bird, mid90s, Roma, Pain and Glory,Honey Boy,Belfast,The Hand of God,and Licorice Pizza.As if these films were not enough, Armageddon Time’s 2022 release finds itself sandwiched between Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½ and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, though perhaps referencing Linklater here is a cheat given that his filmography practically rebirthed this burgeoning director retrospective sub-genre whose roots can be traced back to The 400 Blows and 8 ½.
Armageddon Time offers nothing new for most audience members in terms emotional experience, but that does not mean it is without merit. For one, the film boasts a handful of expectedly watchable performances from actors like Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong as Paul’s mother and father. Gray also gratefully gifts us another brilliant late-stage performance from Anthony Hopkins as Paul’s blunt but unendingly warm grandfather. Strong, while unquestionably skillful and oftentimes hilarious in his role, occasionally veers too far into caricature for the tone of the film, but Hathaway would undoubtedly steal the entire show if it weren’t for Repeta and newcomer Jaylin Webb, who anchor Gray’s story with their nuanced, thoughtful, and uncomfortably real performances at the heart of the film.
With its warm, nostalgic cinematography and subtle eye for period-accurate sets and clothing, Armageddon Time starts strong. Gray’s style of storytelling lures you into his world, allowing you to experience life as it must have felt for him when he was Paul’s age. The plot follows many of your standard coming-of-age story beats, but Gray takes special care to develop the friendship between Paul and Johnny, a Black kid with a troubled home life that makes Paul’s strained relationship with his parents look tame by comparison. It is evident in Gray’s storytelling that he is aware how wildly Paul’s troubles pale in comparison to the racism, abuse, and unstable living situation experienced by Johnny, but it feels unavoidably icky to see such a serious subject matter relegated to the subplot a film primarily focusing on the struggles of a decently well-off white kid. To the film’s credit, Gray seems acutely aware that his audience would have such a reaction in the way he earnestly depicts the guilt Paul — and, by extension, Gray — feels about this messy situation. However, though Armageddon Time certainly hits the mark on occasion, it never successfully meshes its multiple storylines in a way that does Johnny’s arc justice with all its myriad complexities.
Armageddon Time may not explore all its themes to the fullest potential, but the film is nonetheless able to tug at your heartstrings in the way that all good coming-of-age films must. The relationship between Paul and his grandfather is particularly moving, due in no small part to Hopkins’ instantly lovable performance, and though the circumstances may be specific to Paul, it is impossible not to relate to his struggle of wanting to fit in at school without sacrificing his own personal integrity. Gray’s film is at once reflective, psychologically complex, and narratively messy, but perhaps that is as fitting a representation of the human experience as one can get.
Score: 7/10
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