A multi-generational examination of 1980s America by writer and director James Gray starring Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins, and Banks Repeta. Paul Graff (Repeta), the younger son of a Ukrainian-Jewish immigrant family, has a passion for art and likes to goof around with his African-American friend Johnny (Jaylin Webb), who comes from a poorer family with restricted social mobility. When Paul and Johnny's antics finally get them into trouble, Paul's parents see it as a sign to send him to an elite private institution wholly disconnected from Paul's own interests.