Armageddon Time Review
2 min read
Armageddon Time Review
“You just want me to be like you,” says 12-year-old Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) in Armageddon Time, unenamoured with his posh new school uniform for the posh new school his parents are making him go to. “No,” says his father (Jeremy Strong), “I want you to be a whole lot better than me. That’s what I want.”
There’s a world of pain there, as there is throughout Armageddon Time, a semi-autobiographical melting-pot that explores much of what made the young James Gray a man. That line – “I want you to be a whole lot better than me” – which mixes a father’s protectiveness with a self-loathing inseparable from his Jewishness, is delivered with heartbreaking humanity from Strong, whose uniquely troubled eyes deliver desperation, insecurity, disappointment. Having gone to space with Ad Astra, Gray is very much back on Earth here, with a film that goes to town on disappointment – in people, in politics, in ourselves. It’s about dealing with it and building from it.
Many of Gray’s films are introspective, interior personal journeys – Two Lovers, The Lost City Of Z and Ad Astra all feel disarmingly intimate. But here he has doubled down, taking a trip into his own childhood with a soulful drama that follows his young avatar, Paul, as he navigates adolescence within that white middle-class Jewish upbringing.
It’s warm but not rose-tinted, sweet but not sentimental.
The Jewish kid befriends a Black kid, and it’s the best of times and the worst of times, as Paul is treated to a succession of wake-up calls, his eyes slowly opening to the reality of the social structure propped up around him. Politics are never far away: Paul’s left-leaning parents, gently aghast at the barely disguised bile coming out of Ronald Reagan’s mouth as he campaigns to be President, are not quite as enlightened as they’d like to think. Gray gets into the cracks, tackling morality, class warfare and racism, but never with too heavy a hand, as Paul begins to see things from different perspectives.
So, it’s warm but not rose-tinted, sweet but not sentimental. At worst it feels slightly contrived towards its conclusion, with things dramatised a little bit more than they maybe needed to be. But still, it’s a means to an end, with the young Paul learning – the hard way – about hypocrisy, injustice and privilege. Never, though, at the expense of the film remaining a touching character study. It’s a plaintive piece of self-reflection – it yearns and aches.
Both a coming of age and an exploration of an era, this self-biographical reminiscence feels both regretful and hopeful – a filmmaker trying to make peace. It’s not sugar-coated, but it’s full of love.
Related Articles
Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins And More Offer Life Lessons In The Armageddon Time Trailer
Movies |
Related News & Content
-
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal,Following up on this answer I'm trying to determine how to create a modal with completely unique menu items/content than the media modal. If you add a new state you can add a new menu tab and hav... -
Get post by tag
Get post by tag,I want to get several post by tag. So I try to use get_posts() function: <?php $args = array( 'numberposts' => '3', 'post_status' => 'publish', 'tag' => 'travel' ); $ -
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?,On a normal website, I am able to add JSON-LD structured data, such as below, into a Elementor HTML widget, in a proper way. However, as soon as I insert JSON-LD format into an ACF field (Textarea)... -
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child,This is a continuation of the following post: Custom Gutenberg block with nested InnerBlocks renderAppender not displaying add button I solved one problem but created a different problem. I'm recr... -
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers,On a WooCommerce website, I have a REST endpoint created with register_rest_route that returns a JSON response. To perform a routine with a certain frequency and urgency, I have added this instruct... -
How do I change top header background color
How do I change top header background color,Please refer to website: https://virginiafrank.com I cannot get the top header background color (or phone numbers) to change color. I would prefer the background gold and text black. I can't make t... -
How to display the_tags() as plain text
How to display the_tags() as plain text,the_tags by default is displaying as URL. I need to display it as plain text to insert inside HTML attribute. <?php $tag = the_tags(''); ?> <div class="image-portfolio" data-section... -
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user,in wordpress multisite when we give to site admin the option to add new users, site admin dont have the "checkbox" to add the new user without sending the user email with link activation (see the -
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion,Despite the Terrible Disaster on October 7, and the Failures It Exposed, Israel Is Still Convinced That the Image of the Mad Man Will Ensure Its Security -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
‘It’s too revealing for a wedding’ people say as guest shares her dress with cut-outs & plunging neckline
‘It’s too revealing for a wedding’ people say as guest shares her dress with cut-outs & plunging neckline,A WOMAN has been mocked after sharing the summer dress she was considering wearing to nuptials. Attending someone’s big day can be just as stressful as organising the wedding ceremony –… -
Carl Weathers dead at 76: Rocky and Happy Gilmore actor mourned by family after dying ‘peacefully in his sleep’
Carl Weathers dead at 76: Rocky and Happy Gilmore actor mourned by family after dying ‘peacefully in his sleep’,ACTOR Carl Weathers has died at 76. Weathers, whose career spanned film and television, action and comedy, is best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise, as well as his performa… -
‘What Jennifer Did’: Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case
'What Jennifer Did': Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case,Most of Jennifer Pan's entire life was made up of lies. When her parents began to catch on, she decided to bring in hired hitmen. -
What’s behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year’s music festivals?
What's behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year's music festivals?,The public sentiment about this year's crop of music festivals is an overwhelming "meh." There are good reasons for this. -
Language and Landscape: Building Communication Skills in Natural Environments
Language and Landscape: Building Communication Skills in Natural Environments,Horsebarn Hill is among the learning environments helping a UConn researcher conduct potentially life-changing research for minimally verbal autistic young ... -
Catherine Jhong ’24, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Catherine Jhong ’24, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,Catherine Jhong reflects on her time at UConn
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.scienceradars.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 169
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.bayuexiang.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 173
JEE Main 2024 Result: Farmer’s son from Washim secures All-India Rank 1
In Bihar battle second round today, a big test for JD(U); 5 Lok Sabha seats at stake
52k autorickshaw drivers face action over flouting norms
New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
