The 1980s were the final years of the Cold War. Political tensions were rife, and social lives were getting more complex. What that period looked like in the eyes of a teenager? How distant was achieving the American dream?
This is the story of Armageddon Time, directed by James Gray, based on his childhood upbringing in a New York neighbourhood. Seen through the eyes of Paul Graff, the audience can witness his realisation of systematic injustice, the guilt of being privileged, and a glimpse of social and political complexities present in '80s America.
Paul is a teenage boy living with his middle-class Jewish family in Queens, New York. He is a happy, shy and curious boy with a penchant for art. Though he is good at what he loves to do, his parents are not supportive of him: they think he should pursue a more productive skill as a person from a barely struggling middle-income family. Paul’s parents and siblings barely understand him, except Grandfather Aaron, who inspires Paul to pursue his dream.
In school, Paul is a constant troublemaker. He befriends Johnny, an African-American boy who lives with his grandmother in a poor neighbourhood. They have a knack for causing a ruckus in the class, but Johnny gets the most punishment when they are caught. Paul is curious to know why he doesn’t get the equal penalty.
Racist remarks by his teachers and classmates make him realise that Johnny is a part of the systemic injustice that has been happening in the United States for centuries. Even though civil rights were officially achieved in the post-Martin Luther King era, the fangs of racism are still prevalent in this reality.
Even though he realises this inequality, he first tries to take advantage of it. He makes Johnny the scapegoat to take the blame for most of his mischief, and Johnny seems to accept it without much talking.
Little does Paul know that Johnny learned to cope with this society. And when he understands, he is hit with guilt, the guilt of constantly earning the white privilege he didn’t ask for, and the audience can feel that.
After causing enough trouble while being a partner in crimes with Johnny, Paul is transferred to a private school where his elder brother studied. He is soon met with the prejudice of being friends with a Black person and being from a middle-income Jewish family in an American society ruled by the 80s Reagan administration. While Paul finds it hard to fit in, Grandpa Aaron becomes his comfort zone as he is the only person who can reach out to him. Aaron motivates him with stories of his family’s struggle to pursue the American dream, and Anthony Hopkins nails the role perfectly.
Although Armageddon Time refers to the hardline politics of President Reagan’s administration, the friendship between different races overcoming the social stigmas played a critical role here. Moreover, the film is also a story of a family struggling for years to assimilate into American society only to achieve a better life everyone dreams of. Director James Gray perfectly portrays them, drawing from his childhood memories.
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