First Reformed Review

Slow and deliberate, but fervent in its interrogation of faith and in its portrayal of all-consuming mental anguish. Hawke is a force in the film, his internal conflict clearly bursting at the seams in each and every intimate frame. The setting is utilized to full effect as the church becomes positioned between past and present, between an ideal and a reality, between the central tenets of religion and the insidious hypocrisy of corporate greed. It all builds up to an absolutely stunning finale that seethes with anger, yet challenges you to grab ahold of something in a world that too often seems devoid of hope and meaning.

GRADE: B+

Tags: Ethan Hawke Amanda Seyfried First Reformed, First Reformed, First Reformed bomb vest, First Reformed ending, First Reformed Paul Schrader