Faith, hope, despair and … environmentalism? That’s the combination of themes coming out of the creatively twisted mind of Writer/Director Paul Schrader in his latest work. Schrader is known for such provocative films as Taxi Driver, American Gigolo and Affliction. And he’s got another one, but this one’s a little different.
Ethan Hawke (Pastor Ernst Toller) gives a commanding but subtle and restrained performance as the clergyman of First Reformed; a small, quaint, Upstate New York church about to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The church has a lot of history but not a lot of parishioners because about 5,000 attend the massive and materialistic brand of grand performance religion at the mega- church Abundant Life. The pastor of that church (Cedric the Entertainer) is working with Toller to make the First Reformed anniversary special, including distinguished politicians and guests.
Toller is chronicling this special time and all his thoughts in a journal he has vowed to keep writing in for just one year. Schrader uses the journal as a narrative tool which he spoke specifically about at the Chicago Critics Film Festival just prior to the film’s release.
Click here to hear Writer/Director Paul Schrader talk about narration, stealing ideas, and his choice for the tenor of the film.
Toller goes quietly about his business trying to put things in order for the upcoming celebration of his historic church. He is soft-spoken and kind, but a troubled man and Director Schrader reveals a little at a time that there’s more going on underneath. His past? This pastor has issues of his own. He’s a very sick man and literally puts Pepto Bismol in whiskey which he drinks far too often. One female parishioner has more than a passing interest and is worried about his health. They have history, too.
The plot thickens when a young, pregnant woman (Amanda Seyfried) asks Toller for help with her husband. The scene where they talk is heartbreaking and awkward. She wants the clergyman to counsel to her husband Michael (Philip Ettinger). He’s obsessive about the state of the environment and doesn’t want to bring a baby into this world. She’s
so afraid his severe depression might lead to his taking drastic action. Michael asks, “Can God forgive us for what we’ve done to this world?” He wants his wife to have an abortion because he feels we have destroyed God’s home.
Voila! We have religion, sickness, despair and environment all in one. Plus the political and social pressure of the upcoming church celebration. Schrader takes his time in the first two thirds of the movie setting up the circumstances surrounding this number of dilemmas. Just when you think Toller might be able to help avert potential problems, things get worse but are interrupted with a magical, mystical experience. Schrader leads you to believe something physical will happen between Mary and Toller, and it does. But it’s not what you think. The scene is so out of context it makes your head spin, but it is so ethereal it does alleviate pain for the moment until Schrader leads us into even darker territory. It’s like having an out of body experience.
Schrader moves at a very slow deliberate pace by design. The opening shot is an agonizingly long slow approach to the old church. It begins in silence and sound is introduced gradually. Schrader explained that the opening of a movie is where the director teaches the audience how to watch his film and the pace is set.
Ethan Hawke portrays a decent man with many flaws. He finds neither enlightenment nor relief in his faith yet he carries on. His performance should get some attention when awards season rolls around.This is an emotionally charged work of art that ought to spark debate on religion, big business, suicide and the environment to name just a few. Nothing in First Reformed is easy to digest or handed to you like a communion wafer on a plate. Schrader wants you to have even more questions past the final frame.
A24 108 minutes R Reviewed May 16, 2018
