First Reformed (2017)
2017
108 Minutes
Reverend Ernst Toller is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Ra...
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One man's fall into hopelessness is what "First Reformed" is all about. A myriad of dilemmas leads Toller down his path of sorrow as illness, past regrets, alcoholism, and societal concerns plague his soul and mind day in and day out. The main soc... Read the full review »1 member likes this review.
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My friend and I did not speak when “First Reformed” ended. We remained silent for a good 5–7 minutes. This was the only reasonable reaction to what we had just witnessed. “First Reformed” is a masterpiece of character-driven drama with f... Read the full review »1 member likes this review.
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While Ethan Hawke's performance was excellent, I found FIRST REFORMED to be just ok. It is an incredibly slow film that was building to a moment that ultimately left me unsatisfied. Read the full review »0 member like this review.
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“Can God forgive us?” Once that line is uttered by Michael (Philip Ettinger), a radical environmental activist and soon-to-be father, it gets in Reverend Toller’s (Ethan Hawke) head. He agonizes over the question as his outlook on salvation... Read the full review »1 member likes this review.
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WHAT I LIKED: Paul Schrader's 'First Reformed,' broadcasts a fairly polemic view about how the hypocritical religious establishment is complicit in the destruction of the Earth through its story of a troubled vicar who slowly comes around to the e... Read the full review »1 member likes this review.
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Many films have discussed the role of the church in the face of great evil, The Exorcist probably being the most notable example, or perhaps Tarkovsky's Stalker. First Reformed tackles the issue with a vice grip. Instead of substituting a fictiona... Read the full review »2 member like this review.
