First Reformed (2017)

First Reformed is a spare, intense drama-thriller about Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke), the solitary pastor of a historic but dwindling upstate New York church. As Toller quietly journals his doubts and illness, a pregnant parishioner asks him to counsel her husband, Michael, a radical environmental activist whose despair about humanity’s role in climate change forces Toller to confront his own guilt over a lost son, his failing health, and the meaning of faith and responsibility in a world that seems to be unraveling. The film is slow-burning and claustrophobic: it leans on tight, shadowed interiors, minimalistic cinematography, long takes and a taut script (Paul Schrader) to build an accumulating sense of moral crisis and spiritual disintegration. Hawke delivers a subdued, searching performance, and Amanda Seyfried provides a quiet but pivotal presence. The story moves from quiet pastoral routine into increasing psychological and ethical intensity, culminating in a shocking, morally ambiguous act that reframes everything that came before. What you’ll experience: - A thoughtful, often bleak meditation on grief, faith, guilt and ecological despair rather than a conventional plot-driven thriller. - A tense, intimate atmosphere—quiet moments and small details carry heavy emotional weight. - Moral ambiguity and psychological unease that linger after the credits. - Strong central performances and austere direction; the film rewards patience and reflection. Content notes: the film deals with suicide, severe depression, self-harm and violent themes and builds toward a disturbing climax. If you appreciate character-driven, contemplative cinema that asks big ethical questions, First Reformed is powerful and unsettling; if you prefer lighter, fast-paced entertainment, this one is heavy and slow.

Actors: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer

Director: Paul Schrader

Runtime: 113 min

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

6.4 /10 86 /100 7.1 /10 7.4 /10