My final (personally) required viewing of this year before I make my Top 20 video has unfortunately let me down. After hearing waves of good things about Paul Schrader's newest, I simply could not agree with many of them. First Reformed is a beautifully-directed character study that features an incredible performance from Ethan Hawke, but I honestly could not have been any less interested. I found this film to be only mildly interesting in its dialogue but painfully stark in its message. Even though there was some thought-provoking character development, I expected a more satisfying story rather than a blatant PSA regarding climate change.
Ethan Hawke's performance is undoubtedly the best part of this film. His character of Reverend Toller was amazing to see as he progressed throughout the few weeks of this movie's timeline. Grappling with the loss of a friend as well as drudging up your own dark past may have been the most interesting conflict in this film. This movie, however, is not much more than an unsettling character study that I felt took too many strange turns. I did not necessarily dislike the writing of this film, but I believe that it could have been much more engaging and subtle in its message. As the character of Michael, played by Philip Ettinger, was introduced in a very slow and uncomfortable scene filled with extremely heavy dialogue, the entire premise of the rest of the film was practically laid out. The obviously political message that was laid out included raising awareness of climate change and environmental dangers that have arisen recently. While I did enjoy Toller's struggle between his religion and the newfound knowledge that Michael had presented, it made way for a very predictable narrative. Even though this film is aiming to be more of a character study, I could not see how or why Toller did what he did throughout the course of the plot. Perhaps it was to continue Michael's activism or perhaps it was because he was dying of some unknown ailment, but Toller did not have the smoothest character transition from reverend to political warrior. And the final shot did not help this fact, either, as I have trouble believing that a simple kiss and embrace was all he needed to stop himself from drinking drain cleaner.
The tone of this film brought nothing but depressing darkness and lack of hope. That is one aspect that I really could not get behind was the lack of emotion in the writing, even though it was made up for by the performances. Many of this movie's scenes are up for debate in their meaning, particularly the levitation sequence with gross stock footage behind it, and I personally do not enjoy films that use this tactic. While Schrader's writing was a bit misleading at times, his direction, the cinematography, and other small elements at least made this a fascinating (one-time) watch. Schrader's direction in this movie is incredible and the story moves along very nicely. He knew exactly what he wanted from the cast and story and was definitely able to express that effectively. This was also due to the great supporting performances and set design. Amanda Seyfried and Cedric the Entertainer are amazing in this, helping aid our lead throughout the whole film and providing a nice backdrop to this small, Eastern town. The set design in some of the houses made for a very dirty setting, which benefitted the narrative very well, especially contrasted to the prim and proper church. The cinematography by Alexander Dynan was fantastic as well. His use of framing caught my eye the most, as almost every shot was perfectly central in its focus. This helped not only to set up the scene but to keep the audience's focus on the dialogue rather than the characters' bleak surroundings.
First Reformed is quite an interesting watch; if you are a fan of more artsy films that utilize attempted metaphors for social change, I am sure you will adore this. I personally prefer a film with an underlying message that accompanies the plot instead of overwhelming it, but I still appreciate what Schrader has done with this story.
My Rating: ★★½
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