In New York in 1980, Jewish-American schoolboy Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) becomes close friends with a rebellious African-American Johnny (Jaylin Webb). James Gray’s film, based on his childhood experiences, follows their stories.
This is a curious watch. The plot is reasonably engaging but at the end it feels like it has not really gone anywhere. It kept feeling like it was going to deliver something profound and it never did. It does not help that Paul is an annoying brat, and his Dad played by Jeremy Strong is a bully.
Paul’s grandfather, played excellently by Anthony Hopkins is a much more layered character and is central to the film’s best scene as he explains to Paul that he needs to stand up to racists. In the end, Johnny is a much more interesting protagonist, but he gets side-lined even as he is forced to live on the street as the focus is more on Paul and his tribulations at a posh school, and those feel trivial in comparison.
Interesting enough to keep me watching but ultimately a bit frustrating.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10