Now that awards season has officially kicked off, it seems like a good time to revisit some critically-acclaimed fare from past years. This is my first review for my mother-in-law, who requested First Reformed, a taut, chilling thriller (according to Amazon Prime), because she wanted to know what I would make of it. It is A24, so I’m expecting something moody and atmospheric that veers off into disturbing pretty damn quick. I remember how many top 10 lists this one was on in 2017, so I was looking forward to watching Ethan Hawke act his damn heart out as a Reverend Toller, a priest who begins to question his faith and his place in the world. So did this reform (ahem) my view of Hawke and his talent? Well...
I honestly haven’t seen that much of his work, regretfully, and what I have hasn’t wowed me (I will never understand how Winona Ryder could choose him over Ben Stiller in Reality Bites). But this was a total game changer - the phrasing is overused, so forgive me, but Hawke is a genuine revelation in this film. We watch him grapple with a shift in ideology that causes his faith to waver, then topple in a horrifying slow-motion slide until we reach an explosive climax unlike any other I can think of.
Some thoughts:
One of the guiding pieces of the narrative is that Toller is keeping a journal for 12 months and then he’s going to shred and burn it. This is mysterious already. He refers to keeping the journal as a form of prayer but also says he is unable to pray.
Amanda Seyfried is stunning as always in her role as Mary, a young widow who comes to Toller for help. She’s got this gorgeous innocence shining through, and her chemistry with Hawke is palpable.
It must be so scary to be a priest or pastor and go into people’s homes, people you don’t know, looking to help and not knowing what you will find. Just like social workers, home health aids, repair technicians - how do you just go into people’s houses and not be freaked out about it all the time? This may be the pandemic brain talking, but I don’t think so.
This conversation between Toller and Michael (Phillip Ettinger) is a powerhouse of acting. Michael is twitchy and despairing, Toller is solemn and there’s a simmering strength and anger as he answers Michael’s questions. I’m so tense.
One of the marks of excellent craftsmanship that’s all over this movie - everything is so quiet and contained, but at no point does it feel boring. Writer/director Paul Schrader is making brilliant choices here - no music or score, the cinematography framing Toller and his parishioners. There are so many shots through doorways, through keyholes; it feels voyeuristic to see these acts of faith, these exercises in belief. Every choice made ratchets up the tension and dread as we slide toward something - we’re not sure what, but it feels like it will be terrible for all involved. In every scene, I feel more and more like Toller is a pot about to boil over.
That quiet sure does lead to an even more potent shock when it arrives.
Will God forgive us for what we’re doing to his creation? <- If I knew more Christians who grappled with the ramifications of their actions on Earth as they affect this life, rather than the afterlife, I would probably still not be BFFs with them or anything (I mean, idk, what else are they interested in? Do we share similar interests or hobbies? How do they feel about dogs and Animal Crossing and gay shit? I have standards.) but I would sure as hell respect them more.
Cedric the Entertainer is surprisingly fantastic as this big megachurch pastor - his charisma and gravitas fill auditoriums easily, and he’s got the pitch perfect vibe of a flashy showman who you can trust. He’s perfect for this role.
All of the sequences of Toller alone in his rectory drinking, doing research about climate change, sitting in the dark - it feels like a horror movie, the tension and dread ramping up with this heavy, atonal soundtrack. It’s very effective.
Ok. Pet peeve time. I recognize that this interlude with the breathing and the flying through space is a visual representation of an emotional experience and a connection between two people but honestly I hate everything about it. Its tone is so wildly different from the rest of the film - maybe it’s a pacing issue? It just ground everything to a halt for me. I was SO WITH this movie, I was really feeling the mood and the despair and this whole sequence took me right out of it.
And that ending - the ending is going to be the thing that people will use to to determine whether they did or didn’t like it. It feels immediately divisive in the same way that something like Black Swan does. For some, the ending is perfect, and for others, it’s a major letdown or just a total head scratcher. I think I’m in the former camp, but it took a lot of reflection for me to get there.
Did I Cry? No - I was trying too hard to figure out how I was feeling most of the time.
The film is critically lauded for a reason, and it’s definitely one that I think bears repeat viewing. As most of us deal with the existential crises (plural!) the pandemic has thrust upon us, First Reformed is a movie that reflects so many of the difficult, confusing, terrifying feelings we have to confront surrounding mortality, the type of society we want to be a part of, and ultimately our place in a world that so often feels like it’s spinning into chaos.
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