First Reformed (2018)

First Reformed is being hailed as a triumph for writer/director Paul Schrader, a man responsible for films such as Taxi Driver and The Mosquito Coast but also Dominion an Exorcist Prequel and The Canyons. Ignored by audiences but hailed by critics as a minor masterpiece and a stellar performance by star Ethan Hawke. As I sat down to watch it I admit I expected to be amazed. Sometimes its expectations that kill us.

First Reformed is a very quiet movie. Slow paced and contemplative, First Reformed avoids holding our hands and telling us what to feel. It is the story of a minister and his transformative experience with a suicidal activist. I appreciated the way the film took its time through its story, let its characters build and grow through their arcs, and didn't sensationalize their experiences. But as the film went on I wondered why I couldn't get myself more invested in Reverend Toller's journey.

It's not that Hawke doesn't give a good performance. Understated and solid, Hawke plays his character below the surface. But perhaps it was a bit too far below for my tastes. I never connected with him, never understood how he was feeling. I felt like the film was asking me to read too much into what he was doing. There is a hard balance to strike between telling us too much of what to think and not giving us enough. For me First Reformed erred on the latter.

And I found Amanda Seyfried's character pulled me out of the film as well. I never felt her character acted in a way that wasn't simply to advance the plot, or move a male character's arc forward. She never rang as real or as an organic part of the story.

So as the film builds to its rather anti-climactic climax and Toller's moral conundrum collapses on itself, I found myself not caring enough. This frustrated me as the issues raised here about faith, Eco-responsibility, passion, history, should be very interesting. As Toller wrestles with how to make his passion real, I felt the film didn't do enough to truly get him there, it didn't do enough to get me there. It felt a little hollow.

And then it ends in a way that feels just too pat. Like so much of the rest of the film, I like what the film is getting at but not how it gets there. I wasn't inspired and was only a little bored. I think I just expected the experience of First Reformed to be a little more spirited. While I find Schrader's work can be all over the map from genius to truly bad, this felt mostly good but a bit of a missed opportunity.

First Reformed
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric Kyles
Writer/Director: Paul Schrader