Review of First Reformed (2018) by Grantd243 — 31 May 2018

First Reformed wasn't marketed at all around where I live, and I don't believe I ever even watched a trailer for it, so going into it all I knew about it was that it was an A24 film with Ethan Hawke about a reverend.

Naturally, I assumed it was a horror film, or at least something dealing with the supernatural. Boy, I was in for a surprise. First Reformed is a slow burn drama, and a damn good one at that. The story of First Reformed is about Reverend Toller, who oversees First Reformed Church, which is a church that is almost 250 years old and is more of a tourist destination than a church at this point (although he does still hold Sunday sessions).

There is nothing supernatural, and this isn't an in-your-face religious film, either. This film is about a lot of things. It has A LOT to say about the current state of the environment, and it even touches on politics and the power of corporations.

But there's more than that, it's about the personal struggles of Reverend Toller, who has lived a life filled with isolation and sorrow ever since his son was killed in Iraq. We get a lot of insight into the character of Reverend Toller through personal journal entries that he makes and then reads for the audience, and it's made clear that while he may initially appear like a well kept together man, he is nothing of the sort.

He is sick with what appears to be cancer, and he is a man filled with despair. When he finds something that makes him question everything (the current state of the environment), he slowly becomes engulfed by it, to a point that frankly I found quite shocking.

This film is a very slow burn. It's very serious as well. You won't find much, if any, humor, so it relies purely on the story to keep the audience engaged, and it did just that. I was captivated until the very end, which I must say is something I've been thinking about all day.

The acting is excellent, the script is fantastic, and the story kept me intrigued despite being very slow. First Reformed really is one of the best overall films of the year, and I'm sure it'll get some recognition when the award shows swing around.

However, you might notice that I only gave it an 8, and really it came down to the fact that this isn't a film that I'm just gonna pop into the Blu-Ray player on a Saturday night when I wanna watch a movie.

The re-watchability is just not super high, which inevitably brought down its score. That doesn't mean it's not a great film, though.