First Reformed
Directed by:
Paul SchraderScreenplay:
Paul SchraderCinematography:
Alexander DynanComposer:
Brian WilliamsCast:
Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Philip Ettinger, Michael Gaston, Cedric the Entertainer, Victoria Hill, Bill Hoag, Elanna White, Kristin Villanueva, Erica Fae (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary parish priest at a small church in upstate New York, which is on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Now more of a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, it has long been eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, Toller is plunged into his own tormented past and finds himself questioning his own future and where redemption might lie. With the pressure on him beginning to grow, he must do everything he can to prevent everything spiraling out of control. (Picturehouse Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (7)
First Reformed is a return to Bresson not only by thematicising personal responsibility for the state of the world (the basic outline of the plot is essentially Diary of a Country Priest, while the ecological line is reminiscent of Bresson’s sceptical later films), but also in its rigorous minimalistic style. The academic format, almost monochromatic picture (Schrader originally wanted to shoot in black-and-white), restrained acting, repetitive editing techniques (each disturbance tells us something important or redirects our attention) and composition (transitioning from symmetrical, after the protagonist begins have doubts, to asymmetrical). Only the camera moves exceptionally. Though First Reformed is a serious and slow film of extraordinary formal rigidity, it does not come across as ponderous thanks to its thriller framework and the raising of questions that are relevant to the period (without having a critical tone along the lines of “Old Man Yells at Cloud”). Even though the film has an “old-fashioned” confessional nature, an inspiring tension arises between the diary-style voice-over and what we see. Toller is constantly waging a battle between his thoughts and that which he can express out loud in his position. While writing in his diary, he promises that he will not conceal or omit anything, but he soon rather prefers to destroy certain diary entries. The content of others (the last entries) is hidden from us for a change. As a priest, Toller has a certain social role. He serves others and as such feels responsible for the state of the world and slips into disillusionment and alcoholism because he is not able to change anything. He is roused from his passivity only by meeting a man who does not want to bring a child into the world because of environmental destruction. By presenting the dilemma between private thoughts and public actions, First Reformed differs from Taxi Driver, Schrader’s previous drama about the suffering of a man disgusted by society, from which he openly quotes at least during a drive at night. In a fascinating way, Schrader’s screenplay and Hawke's focused acting express Toller’s slow transformation, which is simultaneously a descent into darkness and an ascent into the higher realms of being (transcendence). At the beginning, he advises Michael to live for that which transcends man, but at the end he realises the inadequacy of the fact that the church deals with spiritual matters and the afterlife instead of the problems of the present. He finds inner peace only after taking a decision on how he will respond to global warming, a loss of interest in religion (his sermons are usually attended by approximately five people; the church serves rather as a souvenir shop) and the radicalisation of young people. For the first time, he does not spend the evening alone with a glass of whiskey, but in a restaurant, where he eats fish. At the same time, a conversation with Michael raises the central idea of life as a search for a balance between despair and hope. Michael at first embodies despair, Toller hope. Later, their positions become complicated. The ambiguous (or dual) ending offers both despair and hope. It shares enough for the film to be satisfactorily concluded, but not so much that you won’t spend a few days thinking about what exactly Schrader is saying in one of his best films, which can be viewed as the stylistic and thematic peak of his work to date. 90%
()
(less)
(more)
The Czech version of the title says it all: Despair and Hope. Especially since the hope in this case is rather sporadic, borderline nonexistent. The thing is that the movie indirectly hits at the Church, which is represented by a depressed priest portrayed by Ethan Hawke. He is doing quite a good job of it. The film even has a number of interesting ideas and the right atmosphere for those who revel in sadness… but what happens at the end of the movie, that’s simply a bit off.
()
God’s silence and the lamentation of the world like a swamp where man vainly treads the bottom. At the end of his career, Schrader returns to his roots. First Reformed resonates not only with the concept of Taxi Driver, but also its creator’s long-time admiration for Robert Bresson, whom he approximates not only in the level of moral motifs, but also with an austere, economical style that fully unleashes the tension and drama within the characters. More than forty years ago, Taxi Driver shocked audiences with its depiction of a world so depraved that an impulsive maniac who is himself rotten with malice and twisted morality could emerge as a hero. In his latest film, Schrader shows a world and existence that is terrifying not due to imminent danger, but due to the anxiety and hopelessness it induces in us when we stop thoughtlessly living in it and instead try to look at it rationally. The melancholy of First Reformed raises the central character’s inner pain, both emotional and physical, while that pain becomes the catalyst for the paradoxical process of finding new faith for the hero, who has dedicated his life to serving God. It may seem at times that Schrader offers exceedingly easy solutions, but it is the same superficial deception as in the conclusion of Taxi Driver, where even seemingly soothing normalcy only obscures the frightfulness and extreme nature of everything that came before. This time, it could seem that Schrader will be satisfied with another Bresson allusion, but in the context of this terrifying world, it must be mercifully cut into the closing credits. Unlike the problems Travis Bickle saw, the current problems will not disappear with the squeeze of a trigger or even with a kiss.
()
A film like from a long-gone era: slow, thoughtful and interpretatively challenging, with the voiceover of the main character, a static camera and carefully composed shots, but at the same smartly current with the topics of environmental crisis and suicidal activists. The Czech title is exceptionally good this time because it reflects the parallel development of the two lines of thought with which Reverend Toller struggles, whose development and current importance is subordinated also to the level of the style, and that lead to a gripping conclusion and an ending that made my heart beat like a racehorse. An old-school experience supported by great music and fantastic actors – Hawke’s sober performance deserves an award, Amanda is well cast after a long time and fully exploits her potential to be someone’s “darling” for her angel’s ayes and overall appearance. If it was an hour longer, it would still keep me hooked and curious. 90%
()
Every once in a while, I come across a small movie in which the acting, camera work, soundtrack, screenplay, and direction, in general, are all in perfect harmony. They manage to communicate their message well, pulling the audience into its intelligent and intense narrative. First Reformed left me satisfied with the feeling that this movie has all the ingredients necessary for this. Perhaps Paul Schrader was inspired in part by the classic movie Winter Light, although Schrader hit the mark emotionally, where perhaps Ingmar Bergman left me a little cold. So in the end the fact that at times it is slightly reminiscent of that particular movie does not really leave me with anything to complain about. I am glad that Ethan Hawke brought this movie to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year and that I had the chance to see it on the big screen. [KVIFF 2021]
()
This film tells the remarkable story of an internally torn priest, played with gusto by Ethan Hawke. The plot initially drags on terribly, especially when one realizes that there's hardly any positive thought to be found here. It is just a kind of creeping calm before the storm. The final twenty minutes of the film completely blew my mind, so I can forgive Paul Schrader for the romantic ending. Actually, why not? After all, Mary was probably the only possible salvation for Ernst, and Ethan Hawke put all his physical acting into that last minute. All of a sudden, he was completely irresistible. (75%)
()