'First Reformed' A Review

First Reformed is a religious drama about the reclusive Reverend Toller(Ethan Hawk), the pastor at the historical First Reformed church. One of his parishioners, Mary(Amanda Seyfried), asks him to counsel her disturbed husband who harbors radical environmentalist beliefs. This encounter sends Toller towards a spiritual and existential crisis.

Hawk puts in a solid, steady, confident performance really shinning in the moments of spiritual and moral discussion with the other characters. The numerous scenes he has alone, contemplative, are effective if not as electric. Seyfried is adequate but the character is mostly a blank, a sounding board for Toller with little actual individual dimension. The vaguness of the part pairs well with Seyfried's glassy acting style but ultimately the role is mostly irrelevant. Cedric Kyles(aka Cedric The Entertainer) as the local mega church pastor who employs Toller is excellent, magnetic in this atypically understated role. The supporting cast are sufficient but they are redundant to a degree as Toller's internal journey is the focus.

The cinematography is moody, dark, and stunning. In a truncated aspect ratio the film mirrors the psychological isolation and bleakness of its lead. The score also compliments the action with a gothic foreboding. There is a sense, throughout, of impending doom. The story takes it's time, is almost meditative, but culminates in an ending that is both over-the-top(at least in what we've seen leading up to it) and disappointing in its ambiguity. It's not that the film doesn't have a streak of contemplation and invite you to draw your own conclusions but it does veer into hard magical realism in the last ten minutes which feels, at best, unearned. It seems the message revealed is, ultimately, Man's impotence. After a thrilling journey this is kind of dull and feels false.

Thought-provoking and darkly inspiring with a somewhat flat conclusion. Of special interest to those with a spiritual practice.

See It.