First Reformed (2017)

Director: Paul Schrader
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric Kyles
Runtime: 113 minutes

Synopsis: A minister of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns, and a tormented past.

Verdict: Will God ever forgive us?

I’m no religious person myself, though I believe that this question is one that everyone should ask themselves for moral reasons at the very least, just as they did when they were younger and wondered if their actions would get them in trouble with their parents or guardians. It’s enough to take a rapid look around us to conclude that we, as a civilization, have not been kind to our gifted Earth, a home that is quickly deteriorating to make room for a shortsighted world consumed by greed. We have turned our planet into a ticking bomb that will detonate in the not-so-distant future, leaving our entire existent in the hands of the unknown.

Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” will go down in Cinematic history as a film that was ahead of its time not only due to its alarming portrayal of environmental harms and the consequences they will bestow on our society, but also because of how he brilliantly ties them to the human condition. Centered around the character of Reverend Toller, a complex man with a tormented past portrayed by an Ethan Hawke at the top of his game, it presents religion as a coping mechanism that fuels people with deceitful hope. “This is God’s will” is a phrase constantly used to mask the despairing face of reality, a deduction that triggers Toller’s doubts about his faith. Accompanied by Amanda Seyfried’s Mary, he journeys into a pilgrimage of self-reflection and existential questioning that sends him down a path of near-destruction which will leave many people, me included, eager to dissect it fully, without leaving any stone unturned.

I’ll be honest, my initial reaction to the film a few years ago was one of slight disappointment. But as time went by, it slowly started growing on me as I couldn’t stop thinking about its underlying themes, to the point to convince me to give it another try which, as expected, felt like an entirely different experience. “First Reformed” is the type of movie that only gets better the more you think about it, which to me is a key characteristic of a remarkable picture. 

FINAL GRADE: 10/10