Movie No. 57 (2018): FIRST REFORMED
First Reformed (2018)
Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried. Michael Gaston
Rev. Ernst Toller is a priest of a small congregation, the First Reformed Church. The movie shows Toller living in despair due to his affliction, tormented past, and other worldly concerns. The physical church, which at present caters to a vanishing congregation, has been reduced to a tourist attraction. Toller's world is even churned when a pregnant parishioner seeks his help to counsel her self-destructive husband, an environmental activist.
Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried. Michael Gaston
Rev. Ernst Toller is a priest of a small congregation, the First Reformed Church. The movie shows Toller living in despair due to his affliction, tormented past, and other worldly concerns. The physical church, which at present caters to a vanishing congregation, has been reduced to a tourist attraction. Toller's world is even churned when a pregnant parishioner seeks his help to counsel her self-destructive husband, an environmental activist.
The movie is a bleak, well-written character study, which can be disturbing. It asks questions. It can shake your fate. It does a lot of other things that are characteristics of a good film. Ethan Hawke delivers what can be his best career performance, which contributes to the film's greatness.
Rating: 4.0/4.0
Date seen: August 25, 2018
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