In First Reformed, Ethan Hawk is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor who’s plunged into his own tormented past and equally despairing future, after a pregnant parishioner asks him to counsel her deeply troubled husband.

Hawkes notable performance and the special way the movie’s dialogue shines a light on some of the more challenging experiences of the human condition are reasons why director Paul Schrader’s film was worthwhile for me. Challenges including the anguish experienced by those grappling with their religious faith or more generally, those lacking in hope for the future. 

All of First Reformed is engaging but a particularly memorable scene is the face to face conversation between the Reverend and the very troubled husband. I enjoyed listening to the interesting questions asked, some of which are literally answered and some answered through the films impressive execution which features some unexpectedly dark turns.

As a Hawke fan and a general lover of good movies, I say give First Reformed a chance. Who knows, you may even find yourself feeling comforted by the knowledge that, at some point, you too asked the same questions. And so, in that way, First Reformed is about you/everyone.

Happy Film Loving,

G