‘Armageddon Time’ Proves Not All Auteur Childhood Portraits Are an Oscar Slam Dunk
variety.comClayton Davis James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” a deeply personal look at how the auteur became the auteur we, or at least the French, came to know and love, debuted to warm applause on Thursday.
However, the film’s problematic depiction of racial inequalities in the Reagan era may turn off awards voters. Plus, Gray has hardly been a major Oscar contender in the past.Following the likes of “Roma” (2018) from Alfonso Cuarón and “Belfast” (2021) from Kenneth Branagh, Gray is the latest auteur to bring the story of his childhood to the screen.
Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival the day after “Top Gun: Maverick” is no easy feat. But the Cannes crowd ate it up, giving it a seven-minute standing ovation, a signal that international members of AMPAS may find aspects to embrace, notably the performances of Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway.
The intimate portrait follows sixth-grader Paul Graff (newcomer Michael Banks Repeta), a young boy living in 1980 Queens, New York, on the heels of the 1980 presidential election.
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