The “heart and soul” of a film is an often-overused term, but it’s practically unavoidable when it comes to Anthony Hopkins in James Gray’s “Armageddon Time.”
Gray’s autobiographical film, drawn with exquisite detail from his childhood growing up in 1980s Queens, New York, follows an 11-year-old named Paul (Banks Repeta) with dreams of becoming an artist. Made with both nostalgia and self-examination, “Armageddon Time” touches on larger social currents — a Black classmate (Jaylin Webb) faces distinctly different opportunities at school; the Trump family makes an appearance — while crafting a vivid portrait of Gray’s Jewish-American family.
