American film director James Gray premiered his movie “Armageddon Time” at the Cannes Film Festival and criticized the racism of the era Ronald Reagan with which the film deals, claiming this Friday (20), that it would have set the stage for the current social tensions.
“I can’t say it caused what’s happening today, which scares me, but it was the seeds that were planted,” Gray said in an interview.
Gray’s coming-of-age film explores issues of race and privilege in American society, with an all-star cast including Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Strong . The executive production is by the Brazilian Rodrigo Teixeira .
The film is one of 21 contenders for the top prize at the French festival, palm d’or .
Set in the 1980s, the film takes its title from a quote from former US President Reagan, who warned that “we” could be the generation that experiences Armageddon.
Reagan had started his 1980 presidential campaign in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where in 1964 three prominent civil rights advocates were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan — a deliberate message, according to Gray.
“Ronald Reagan knew what signals he was sending, particularly to white southerners, and I haven’t forgotten about it – it’s in my head and I wanted to do something about it,” Gray said.
Gray’s film, loosely based on his life, is told through the character of young Paul Graff, who is white and played by Banks Repeta. He traces his friendship to Johnny, who is black and played by Jaylin Webb.
Boys have big ambitions – but they are faced with rigid social structures.
“Trying to deal with it psychologically, I tried to understand, I tried to get into his mindset and really understand what he went through. And my parents helped me because they are so familiar with that feeling,” Webb said.
Links – and tensions – between generations is another theme, with Hopkins playing a central role as Graff’s grandfather.
“He was wise,” Repeta said. “We danced off set, which was nice, and he was fun – he didn’t do anything too serious.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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