Review: First Reformed
- darkknight98
- Nov 3, 2018
- 2 min read
Directed by Paul Schrader
Starring: Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried
The plot follows a Protestant minister faced with questions of faith and morality while serving as pastor of a dwindling historical church.
"Will God Forgive Us For Destroying His Creation?"
I finally had the chance to see A24's First Reformed, and it was really good. This film was directed and written by Paul Schrader who wrote films such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. A24 has been involved with many unique and impressive projects, and this isn't an exception.
Hawke and Seyfried were fantastic, and proved why they are both underrated actors in the industry. Hawke truly presented challenges that pastors have to go through, and that they too have their flaws. The film was beautifully shot, it's cinematography was both haunting and atmospheric, like with the scenes in the bedroom, with the room being lit only by candles and table lamps. The story was really well written and thought-provoking, that leaves you with a lot of haunting questions that conflict with the themes of morality and religion.
There were a few problems I had with the film. I liked that it barely had any music, until the same track played over and over throughout the final act of the film (and it did provide any tension whatsoever, and was distracting instead). I felt it was completely unnecessary since scenes before provided the necessary tension without the music. I also felt "that" scene with the two characters was unnecessary as well, and did not enhance the experience. I felt the ending was also forced and unsatisfying personally (especially after the film was building up to it really well). Also be warned, if you do not enjoy slow-paced films, then this is not the film for you.
In conclusion, I liked and enjoyed the film and it is one of the better unique films I have seen in a while with it's fantastic performances, storytelling, and cinematography. It just had a few flaws that could have made the film much better.
My rating: 8.0/10
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