“Armageddon Time”: Autobiography Set in the 70s in the US Echoes the Present Time

Vietnam War, Civil Rights Aftermath, Cultural Boom, Recession Economy and Conservatism Returning to Power.
The end of the 70s in the United States was a real chaos on the macro-social issue, however, it is within the American homes of the time that the best stories can be found.

One of these houses was that of James Gray, an American director, who decided to tell his own journey in “Armageddon Time”. In terms of fame, James is no Spielberg, who will even release his own cinematic biography soon, but he delights the viewer by bringing a sensitive coming-of-age story that works universally.

The film takes place in the borough of Queens, New York, and tells the story of the family of Paul Graff (Banks Repeta), a child who is somewhat evasive, spoiled and overprotected by his mother Esther (Anne Hathaway) and father, Irving ( Jeremy Strong).

The only adult Paul can form a deeply emotional bond with is grandfather Aaron Rabinowitz (Anthony Hopkins), a Jew who came to the US as a child, along with his parents, in search of the American dream.

However, almost no one understands Paul’s behavior, who, in the classroom, ends up befriending the equally restless Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb), a black boy who lives with his sick grandmother.

Then the contrasts begin. Both children live opposite lives and the film brings the situation very organically. The racism of the characters, for example, is brought about in a structural way, through silences, arbitrary punishments and apparently harmless comments.

The feature also makes a point of deconstructing the figure of the “white savior”, that non-racialized character who takes the black person to the “good path”. On the contrary, it is precisely Paul who hints at some of the most dangerous things that both children do and that eventually lead to the story’s climax.

A climax that is very well constructed with the full help of a stellar cast, especially Anthony Hopkins, who, with this performance, is on his way to yet another Oscar nomination.

It all seems very real, because, after all, it is.

“When a director makes an autobiographical film, he listens to suggestions, but he accepts them less.”

Rodrigo Teixeira is a Brazilian film producer who previously worked with James Gray on the film “Ad Astra: Rumo das Estrelas” (2019), starring Brad Pitt. This feature is an existentialist science fiction that takes place in space, very different from the down-to-earth that the director wanted to have in “Armageddon Time”.

“I am the oldest person on this project, for two years this film was mine and his”, says Rodrigo, “James started writing the script in 2018 and I sent the text to everyone from my office”.

The film, however, took a while to get off the ground.

The filming schedule would start in early 2021, however, in May of the same year, the delta variant of the coronavirus emerged.

Production was halted, returning only in October 2021. In the meantime, the cast had already completely changed; names like Oscar Isaac and Robert De Niro left the scene to make way for the cast we have today.

The director’s desire to shoot on film was also canceled. “Armageddon Time” is James Gray’s first film filmed digitally, but even so, the film’s photography found its seventies tone in a very natural way, almost emulating analog.

The script, however, hasn’t changed much. James Gray even had to “edit” his own life so that some stories didn’t make it into the film.

“Situations that were heavier were cut, more aggressive situations…”, says Rodrigo, “a lot of what is in the film works as a synthesis”.

The relationship with his brother Ted (Ryan Sell) is one of them, which has not been explored in depth, and the relationship with the Trump family is another, which is mentioned briefly.

At one point in the film, Paul comes into contact with more affluent people, including Fred (John Diehl) and Maryanne Trump (Jessica Chanstain). When both appear on the scene, speaking about meritocracy to an audience and, when touching on the political subject, “Reagan” is heard coming from the audience, it is impossible not to make a parallel with the present day.

“The film shows that, 40 years later, many things remain the same”, says Rodrigo, “and if we can learn a lesson from the feature, it is to allow this whole movement not to return”.

The ability to tell the story of a pre-teen and, at the same time, bring an accurate historical context, won a lot of people in several festivals (including a seven-minute round of applause in Cannes) and can win a lot of people at the Academy of Arts. and Film Sciences.

The Oscar campaign for “Armageddon Time” has already begun and, according to Rodrigo, is superior to many other films he has produced, such as “Call Me By Your Name” (2017), which received four nominations.

“Just the fact that this movie was nominated eventually would be a super win. Also, because the film is Brazilian, too, so we would all be represented in Los Angeles.”