Armageddon Time

Armageddon Time is a 2022 American period drama film written, directed, and produced by James Gray, inspired by his upbringing in Queens, New York, during the 1980s. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, and Anthony Hopkins. It was shot in New Jersey with cinematographer Darius Khondji. 
Armageddon Time had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2022, and was released in the United States on October 28, 2022, by Focus Features.
==Premise==
After American Jewish student Paul Graff and his African-American friend Johnny are caught smoking cannabis, Paul is sent to his older brother's private school, run by Maryanne Trump. Despite facing prejudice, Paul's family do their best to try and support him.
==Cast ==
*Michael Banks Repeta (credited as Banks Repeta) as Paul Graff
*Anne Hathaway as Esther Graff, Paul's mother
*Jeremy Strong as Irving Graff, Paul's father
*Anthony Hopkins as Aaron Rabinowitz, Paul's grandfather
* Jaylin Webb as Johnny, Paul's friend and classmate
*Ryan Sell as Ted Graff, Paul's older brother
*Tovah Feldshuh as Mickey Rabinowitz, Paul's grandmother
*Dane West as Topper Lowell, Paul's friend and classmate
*Landon James Forlenza as Chad Eastman, Topper's friend
*Andrew Polk as Mr. Turkeltaub, Paul's teacher
*Richard Bekins as Headmaster Fitzroy
*Jacob MacKinnon as Edgar Romanelli
*Domenick Lombardozzi as Police Sergeant D’Arienzo
*John Diehl as Fred Trump
*Jessica Chastain as Maryanne Trump
==Production==
On May 16, 2019, it was announced that James Gray would be writing and directing Armageddon Time, a film heavily based around his upbringing in Queens, New York. Cate Blanchett was cast in May 2020, with Gray stating that she would shoot all her scenes in three days, including a lengthy monologue. The following month, Robert De Niro, Oscar Isaac, Donald Sutherland, and Anne Hathaway were added to the cast, with plans to film in New York City once the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were minimal.
Filming began in October 2021 in New Jersey. It was initially expected to start in early 2021. In October it was reported that Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Strong would also star alongside newcomers Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb, and Ryan Sell, with Hopkins and Strong replacing De Niro and Isaac, respectively. By the time production began, Blanchett and Sutherland were also no longer attached to the project. Jessica Chastain replaced Blanchett for the role. Production wrapped in December 2021 and Andrew Polk and Tovah Feldshuh were confirmed to star. Domenick Lombardozzi was revealed as part of the cast in March 2022.
==Release==
The film premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2022, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation from the audience. It began a limited release in the United States on October 28, 2022, before expanding nationwide on November 4. It was distributed in the US by Focus Features and internationally by Universal Pictures.
==Reception==
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of the 78 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Armageddon Time finds writer-director James Gray excavating his own past and returning with a well-acted drama refreshingly free of nostalgia." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 76 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
==References==
==External links==
*
Category:2022 drama films
Category:2022 films
Category:2020s English-language films
Category:American drama films
Category:Autobiographical films
Category:Films about racism
Category:Films directed by James Gray
Category:Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Category:Films set in New York City
Category:Films set in the 1980s
Category:Films shot in New Jersey
Category:Focus Features films
Category:Universal Pictures films
Category:2020s American films
Category:2022 American films
Category:2022 in film
Category:Pages containing Mature Content