Setting

Time period

The movie Gran Torino (2008) by Clint Eastwood was filmed in early 2008 and is likely set around the same time. Given that Walt fought in the Korean War in the early 50s and he is now in his 80s, that also places the movie in around the mid-2000s. The events of the film take place over the course of a few months.

The Great Recession that started in 2007 and affected first the United States and then the rest of the world likely also affected the events in the movie. The financial crisis resulted in unemployment and lower wages which affected poor communities the most. The setting of the film Gran Torino shows a community with run-down houses that are not maintained as well as Walt’s. The African American neighborhood Sue and Trey pass through also looks like a poor and poorly...