Armageddon Time: a movie review by Alex First
It is 1980 in Queens, New York City.
Two sixth graders form an unlikely friendship that causes all sorts of friction.
Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) is from a good Jewish family who escaped oppression in Europe.
African American Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb) is from a broken home. He is living with his grandmother, who is increasingly ailing, and suffering from dementia.
Paul is a gifted budding artist, while Johnny (who is repeating grade 6) dreams of a future with NASA.
Both fall out with their teacher, Mr Turkeltaub (Andrew Polk) and bond while being prevented from participating in the gym with the rest of the class.
Paul is particularly close to his grandfather Aaron Rabinowitz (Anthony Hopkins), a principled man who thinks the world of Paul and enjoys spending time with him.
One day, grandad opens up to Paul about the trauma experienced by his (Rabinowitz’s) mother, which saw her leave Ukraine and make a new home and life in America.
Rabinowitz is the glue that binds the family together.
Paul has a much pricklier relationship with his dutiful but overextended mother, Esther (Anne Hathaway) and plumber father, Irving (Jeremy Strong).
They have aspirations for Paul that don’t match his own desires.
As the boys’ friendship develops, they find themselves increasingly at odds with authority figures.
Meanwhile, Rabinowitz encourages Paul to be a mensch (a Yiddish word meaning a person of integrity and honour).
Written and directed by James Gray (Ad Astra), Armageddon Time is a deeply personal coming-of-age story – a layered work of fine craftsmanship.
With it, Gray revisited his own upbringing and created characters that inhabited his formative years.
The film is characterised by a series of outstanding performances, starting with newcomers Repeta and Webb.
Both inhabit their characters with distinction.
There is a vulnerability about them, which is authentic and captivating.
Paul is trying to make sense of a world where he knows he is different from other kids, while Johnny is alienated and hamstrung by racism and poverty.
In a bravura showing, Hathaway is a knockout as a mother who is both caring and impatient.
Hopkins slots comfortably into the role of a grandfather who dishes out worldly wisdom.
There is much about Armageddon Time that is emotionally wrought.
It is a sensitive film about love and loss, class, struggle and expectation.
Many of the scenes stayed with me long after I exited the cinema.
Armageddon Time is a movie that deserves to be seen and appreciated for its insight into the American Dream.
It is the opening night feature at this year’s Jewish International Film Festival, which starts in Melbourne on 24th October, in Sydney on 25th October and in Brisbane on 26th October
Opening night on the Gold Coast, as well as in Perth, Hobart and Canberra is on 27th October.
For more information about the festival, go to https://www.jiff.com.au
Armageddon Time scores an 8 out of 10.
