RATING: M

DURATION: 1:55

DIRECTOR: James Gray

STARRING: Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong

Acclaimed filmmaker James Gray’s, ARMAGEDDON TIME has cemented itself as one to look out for this awards season after premiering to an emotional seven-minute standing ovation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. A deeply personal coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream, the film features an all-star cast including Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong.

The upcoming drama follows Jewish sixth-grader Paul (Banks Repeta) growing up in Queens in the 1980s who befriends a Black boy called Johnny (Jaylin Webb) at his public school. When the boys find themselves in trouble with the police, heartbreakingly it is Johnny who bears the brunt of the consequences while Paul’s family shuffles him to Private Academy.

Both come from troubled homes, and while Paul’s mother Esther (Anne Hathaway) is loving and thoughtful, his volatile father Irving (Jeremy Strong) violently punishes him often. His Grandpa Aaron (Anthony Hopkins) is more in harmony with young Paul. He’s seen the atrocities the world can produce but has a wise and charming demeanour that gives Paul hope despite the inevitable problems he knows he will face.

Loosely based on his own experiences, Gray offers a refreshingly candid take on the American Dream with sharp details that pick apart the cracks of what is ultimately a woefully divided nation. Nuanced and believable performances from Hathaway, Strong, Repeta, Webb, and Hopkins seamlessly add to the poignant and convincing portrayal of early ’80s New York.