Full of hidden depths and incredible visuals, First Reformed is not what you think it will be before pressing play. With excellent performances and intense themes, this one is a thinker.
There are some movies that you get to the end of and you feel like you need to watch again. The first viewing brings up all of the surface topics, but you know that you’ve missed things. There is hidden depth that you didn’t pick up on and there are so many layers that it’s only possible to grasp so many at a time. This is one of those films.
First Reformed is about Revered Toller, a man with internal struggles and the main clergy at a small old church that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. When one parishioner, Mary, asks Toller to speak to her husband, a man recently released from prison awaiting the birth of their child, Toller learns more about this man’s activism and his concerns about the impending doom of the planet due to global warming and environmental issues. At the same time, the church is preparing for its 250th anniversary celebration.
This is a visually phenomenal film. With many muted black, whites, and grays, there are also vivid textured moments of a purple sky, bright pink floating Pepto Bismol, and thick yellow Drano. Much of it is incredibly picturesque and the cinematography focuses on landscape views as well as sharp closeups of faces, drinking glasses, and more.
It also brings up excellent topics for conversation – some in quotes, some in themes. My favorite quote from the movie is, “How easily they talk about prayer, those who have never really prayed.” They also talk about whether you should bring a child into a place that you know is going to be miserable for them. In a world with no privacy, each kid existing individually on social media with a world dying around them. Is that a disservice?
Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried are fantastic in their roles here. Both manage intense psychological pain and this comes across far more during the silent moments than the spoken ones.
Thematically I struggled a bit. There are lots of things to play with, such as Toller not taking care of his health juxtaposed with the idea that we are letting our world get sicker without doing anything about it, but I didn’t feel that it went far enough. I wanted to know more about the environmental theme. It is a fine line to walk because the message of global warming and the health of our Earth are things that many feel are being shoved down their throats, but if you are going to make this a central theme of the movie, go all in. I strongly wish that they had, as it connects so heavily to Toller’s story in the film. I feel like a scene was cut or an internal decision was made specifically on this topic and it’s a frustration for me.
I knew nothing about this film before pressing play. The poster alludes to Ethan Hawke being a member of church clergy and that something is burning all around him, but I did not expect this to be what it was. It is a fascinating movie to go into completely blind, so I will leave the rest unnarrated for you. Watch it and let me know what you think.
Runtime: 113 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Available: Free on PlutoTV, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
There are some movies that you get to the end of and you feel like you need to watch again. The first viewing brings up all of the surface topics, but you know that you’ve missed things. There is hidden depth that you didn’t pick up on and there are so many layers that it’s only possible to grasp so many at a time. This is one of those films.
