Review of First Reformed (2018) by Imdoingmypart — 07 Jun 2018

"Will God forgive us?" This question sits at the center of First Reformed, Paul Schrader's latest film dealing with faith, devotion, grief, morality, hypocrisy, and a general feeling of existential crisis. Ethan Hawke stars as Reverend Toller, a Catholic priest at a dying church in upstate New York. Toller is given the task of counseling a young married couple, more specifically the husband, who is becoming reclusive and radical according to his wife (played by Amanda Seyfriend). Toller does not offer judgment but rather wisdom and comfort, sometimes successfully while other times at a distance. While almost exclusively patient, calm, and well-intended, Toller is isolated and removed from the world around him.

Early in the film, Toller reveals that his son was killed in Iraq after joining the military due to family tradition.Though he does discuss the pain and grief following his son's death, Toller does not physically demonstrate his pain beyond his stoicism. It seems impossible that a man could remain so faithful and reverent after the loss of his child and the dissolution of his marriage. Make no mistake: though he keeps it subdued, Toller's grief is central to First Reformed and its exploration of multiple individuals' characters and beliefs. The film does not take jabs at some of the obvious forces present in the film - military, religion, activism, capitalism - but rather sits back and lets the audience form its own judgments.

First Reformed is most exciting in its ability to navigate its many ideas and emotions in near fluidity. While often a dramatic and tragic character study, the film, at times, is a horror film at heart. At other times, it is a study and comparison of faith and religion. Sometimes its characters are distant while at other times their actions can be completely justified. The same steady, patient camera captures one shot of personal outburst and another shot of a still wine glass just a couple scenes away. Few filmmakers can even attempt to cover the before-mentioned topics of personal faith, religious devotion, overwhelming grief, and morality and its justification all within a two hour time frame, but Schrader, the screenwriter of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, not only exceeds expectations but also manages to fit in creative camera work, quiet moments of speechless physical performance, comedic relief, and pointed questions that do not leave the audience unsatisfied but rather motivated to begin asking introspective questions that are too personal to be answered on screen. In many ways, First Reformed is difficult to discuss due to its piercing, personal nature. In other ways, it merits some of the most interesting discussion in film this year. First Reformed does not seek to ties its events and ideas up into a neat package but rather to quietly explode on screen and draw the audience not only to seek discussion with other viewers but also to open an internal discussion and personal exploration that only the masters of filmmaking can inspire.