Armageddon Time

Despite its heartfelt glimpse into a New York upbringing during the disco era, don’t mistake Armageddon Time for a wistful nostalgia trip.

This deeply personal coming-of-age tale from director James Gray (Ad Astra) is a gritty look at the immigrant experience from the perspective of an impressionable preteen eager to break free from conformist expectations and find his artistic voice.

The film conveys an authenticity and affection for its working-class setting, incisively exploring a pivotal age of prepubescent angst set against a backdrop of Reagan-era political populism, technological advances, racial tension, and pop-culture subversion.

In 1980, Paul (Banks Repeta) is a rather ordinary sixth-grader trying to navigate a moderately dysfunctional family of hard-nosed Jewish immigrants, including a social climbing mother (Anne Hathaway) and a quick-tempered handyman father (Jeremy Strong).

He feels suffocated by his parents, who have mapped out a status-driven preconceived path for his future. While they mistake his passion for art as impulsive and reckless, Paul maintains a strong bond with his wise grandfather (Anthony Hopkins) who recognizes his artistic ambitions and supports his desire to shake up the system.

Meanwhile, Paul rebels against his parents and other authority figures, instead gravitating toward outside influences. He’s particularly drawn to a Black classmate and fellow outsider, Johnny (Jaylin Webb), an aspiring astronaut from a broken home whose dreams are dismissed for different reasons Paul doesn’t initially grasp.

Their friendship leads to more episodes of mischief that prompt Paul’s parents to enroll him in a private school whose chief benefactor, of all people, is Fred Trump — father of Donald (although never mentioned as such). Instead of the intended discipline, the move provides harsh lessons about loyalty, socioeconomic class, and white privilege.

Gray’s autobiographical screenplay is brought to life by a top-notch cast, led by expressive performances from both youngsters. In a breakthrough role, Repeta’s scenes with Hopkins are an especially powerful example of how intergenerational wisdom is passed down and processed.

Essentially a story about the elusiveness of the American Dream, the film suffers from some heavy-handed contrivances that perhaps reflect Gray’s own search for guilt-ridden catharsis.

Yet beneath its deceptively simple surface, the multilayered Armageddon Time resonates with sincerity, moral complexity, and a universal sense of bittersweet poignancy.

Rated R, 115 minutes.