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‘First Reformed,’ a stunning and enrapturing film in which Ethan Hawke brilliantly portrays an alcoholic Protestant minister who is experiencing a profound spiritual and psychological crisis, is the crowning achievement by one of the most important filmmakers working in the United States today, Paul Schrader.
Nonetheless, in the midst of delivering that unwavering endorsement, I feel compelled to point out that this is a very special film for a specific, albeit inevitably rather limited audience. It is consistent with other Schrader films, but perhaps more so than any other, in that it defines itself in opposition to many of the central assumptions and conventions of most mainstream cinema.
“The many statements [Robert] Bresson has made in interviews and discussions, properly arranged, would constitute an accurate analysis of his films,” Schrader wrote in his seminal 1972 book Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer (written at the age of 24, two years before he turned from film criticism to filmmaking), noting that “[Robert] Bresson’s] many statements [in interviews and discussions] would constitute an accurate analysis of his films ( It’s a well-observed observation, but one that Schrader should consider amending to include himself as well.
As a writer/director, he has spoken about his work in numerous interviews and discussions, particularly since “First Reformed” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall. His comments—which I strongly encourage interested readers to seek out—are always as stimulating and thought-provoking as they are candid, and they are always worth listening to.
While many artists go to great lengths to conceal the influences that have shaped their work, Schrader cheerfully admits his own and asserts that the important thing is not to avoid stealing from others, but to do so in an intelligent and strategic manner. From one perspective, “First Reformed” is a journey through a strain or tradition of art-filmmaking that shaped the filmmaker, as well as an homage to masters such as Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky, Carl Dreyer, and, of course, Robert Bresson, who appear in the film.
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When Schrader was growing up in the Christian Reformed Church, which is a strict Calvinist denomination, he was not exposed to movies, but he became enchanted by their forbidden pleasures when he eventually came across them. “Pickpocket,” he discovered later, and was enthralled by it because “I sensed a bridge between the spirituality I was raised with and the ‘profane’ cinema I loved,” he says. In addition, it was a bridge of STYLE rather than of CONTENTS.”
That last point is extremely important. “Church people had been using movies to illustrate religious beliefs since the beginning of time,” Schrader continued, “but this was something new.” The fusion of spirituality and cinema would take place in terms of style rather than content. In the How, rather than in the What.”
When the first shot of “First Reformed” is taken, the idea of spiritual meaning expressed in style is deftly encapsulated, serving as a succinct metaphor for the entire film. The camera moves slowly forward as it looks up at the stark white facade of an 18th century church in the state of New York, which is visible in the background. The elegantly restrained colonial architecture of the building, the gray sky, the stately camera movement, and the haunting music all contribute to a sense of austere gravity, which, combined with Schrader’s use of the Academy ratio (which he has said was inspired by Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Ida”), transports us not only to a more traditional era of American religion but also to such European cinema models as Bergman’s “Winter Light” and Bresson’
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The pastor of the church, with his angular frame and ankle-length black cassock, embodies the same iconic starkness as the pastor of the church. The Rev. Ernst Toller (Hawke) is a man who is in a state of turmoil. The congregation that sits in the sparsely furnished pews directly in front of him is insignificant. Evenings are spent drinking alone and writing in a journal, a Bressonian device that Schrader has previously employed in films such as “Taxi Driver,” “Light Sleeper,” and other works of fiction. It is not long before we discover what is causing his agonized expression: When he encouraged his soldier son to go to Iraq, he was a happily married military chaplain with a young family. Toller’s marriage fell apart as a result of the death of his son, and he was left devastated. His mission at this church, which appears to be more interested in selling tourist trinkets than in saving souls, is a mixture of penance and abnegation.
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It is when a pregnant young woman named Mary (Amanda Seyfried) enlists Toller’s help to counsel her husband, who she believes wants her to have an abortion because he is despondent about the future of the world, that Toller’s own misery begins to intrude on his own. Micheal (Philip Ettinger) is an environmental activist who, while he may be afflicted with congenital depression, has a good reason for his melancholy outlook on life. The young man and Toller discuss the ways in which humanity is rapidly depleting the earth, as well as the planet’s bleak future prospects, in a long, striking scene early in the film that reminds us of Schrader’s abilities as a writer. However, while the pastor insists that there are still many reasons to be hopeful, it appears that he may have been influenced as much by Michael’s words as the other way around.
When Mary informs Toller that she has discovered a suicide vest that Michael has constructed, the situation becomes even more dire for him. Is the activist planning to stage a protest against humanity’s extinction in order to draw attention to the issue? Toller is grappling with this issue at the same time that he is facing difficulties on other fronts. He becomes concerned that he is suffering from a serious illness because he is spitting blood. Cedric the Entertainer gives a terrific performance as the upbeat pastor of a local megachurch, who tries to coax him out of his gloom by enlisting him in the planning of the church’s 250th anniversary festivities. He is unsuccessful. The extent to which it will be run by a bullying local rightwing polluter, for whom Toller has the greatest amount of contempt, begins to grate on Toller’s craw, however.
It’s possible that “First Reformed” will find its least receptive audiences among those who want either a conventional psychological drama or a dogmatic exposition of spiritual themes, unless I’m completely wrong. Neither of these things are what Schrader is after. His primary concern has been the development of style as a means of bringing about spiritual consciousness from the beginning. According to him, in a welcome new edition of Transcendental Style, he describes the process of creating “an alternate film reality—a transcendent one,” in which “the filmmaker, rather than creating a world in which the viewer must simply surrender… creates a world in which the spectator must contemplate—or reject out of hand.”
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Is it possible that the film’s most appreciative viewers will be those who are familiar with Schrader’s writings, his previous work, and the great films whose influence he freely acknowledges will be the most appreciative viewers? Without a doubt. But “First Reformed” leaves its large front door open to anyone who is willing to take a contemplative approach to cinema and accepts the film’s invitation to do so. The film’s peculiar mysteries and beauties will be evident throughout, including its restrained compositions and use of silence and empty space, the almost liturgical unfolding of its narrative, a climactic scene of imaginary flight, and a final scene that appears to have been designed to leave one gasping for air while contemplating this tale of faith and its worldly opponents.
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In addition, Hawke’s portrayal of Toller serves as a solid anchor for the entire production. Hawke has developed exponentially as an actor in recent years, and this is his most expertly and movingly crafted performance to date. Hawke has been a fine actor since the beginning of his career. It is not an exaggeration to say that he has provided Schrader with a suffering priest on par with those of Bresson and Bergman’s films.
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