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First Reformed
First Reformed
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First Reformed

First Reformed

2018
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 53m
A priest of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns, and a tormented past.

Directed by:

Paul Schrader

Screenwriter:

Paul Schrader

Starring:

Ethan Hawke, Michael Gaston, Amanda Seyfried, Victoria Hill, Van Hansis, Gary Lee Mahmoud, Elanna White, Krystina Alabado, Kristin Villanueva, Bill Hoag, Christopher Dylan White, Sue Jean Kim

Franchise:

Man in a Room

Genres:

Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Mystery

Country:

USA

Language:

English
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First Reformed

2018
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 53m
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Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 63.78% from 1518 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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leonardisLeonardis
Rated 05 Sep 2018
94
78th
The ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting and the pacing was fairly slow, but oddly enough, I ended up really liking this. Hawke is very good, and the directing is simple but effective, as is the writing. All of the dialog and writing felt very real-life to me, even though it led up to an ending I'm sure many are split on. Has some interesting things to say about despair, judgment, and morality too, so that was a plus. Worth a look if you are at all interested in it.
Rated 05 Sep 2018
deaddillydeaddilly
Rated 06 Jun 2018
90
94th
Deceptively monstrous in its still simplicity. Schrader allows the seeds of hopelessness to bloom into complete spiritual disintegration. Masterful, important, and devastating.
Rated 06 Jun 2018
paxtonPaxton
Rated 18 Sep 2019
85
83rd
I could see a man giving up the cloth for Amanda Seyfried, but, realistically, I don't know if she should expect him to start recycling.
Rated 18 Sep 2019
staryarabbistaryarabbi
Rated 06 Jun 2018
85
88th
Unlike humanist films trying to unearth the good inherent to human beings, FR tries to understand the act of sacrificing yourself for a transcendental good and daring to look "evil" on this path. Courageously opposes religion to faith in a corrupt world where every institution stinks of hypocrite power relations and asks if we can still hold on to any "value" and act politically. Uncompromising 4:3 transcendental aesthetics with unadorned close-ups brings the story to a much higher level as well
Rated 06 Jun 2018
billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 03 Feb 2020
80
77th
If he were to have gone through with it all, it still wouldn’t have been the worst thing a priest has done in church. New Testament Taxi Driver (I’ve never read the bible so I hope that works).
Rated 03 Feb 2020
backwardsuitbackwardsuit
Rated 02 Nov 2018
84
89th
Pretty damn crushingly harsh & pained picture of a moral struggle that seems to permeate every layer of our existence nowadays. Its heavy-handed style & transcendental outbursts are not so much earned as they are enforced by the subject matter. The atmosphere is a dangerously volatile mix of oppression & empowerment, faith & despair, complicity & isolation, all brewing under an overcoat of boundless grief & guilt. Amazingly it has the nerve to avoid any simplistic resolutions or easy ways out.
Rated 02 Nov 2018
gnalkhereGnalkhere
Rated 29 Jul 2018
95
97th
It's like if Neil Breen had restrained himself on the sociopolitical/environmental commentary to a lowkey level, watched Taxi Driver ad nauseum, didn't cast himself, and actually went to film school. The Best Film of 2018.
Rated 29 Jul 2018
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 27 Jan 2019
100
99th
It's a fundamental thing to be following an artist's work from one Transcendental Style to heartache and back, and finally witness the purest form of their art, seeing it in all its brilliance and rooting for them all the way. Tetelestai. You know this is precisely why God placed them on this Earth and you can't be any happier for them when they've overcome all adversity and did it. I will keep this experience with me to The End. Job 26:7. 28. 30:20. 36:17. 38:3. 42:6.
Rated 27 Jan 2019
djrossdjross
Rated 02 Jan 2019
60
63rd
Betsy becomes Esther, to be spurned for her superficial conventionality (but she's also WINTER LIGHT's Märta), while Iris becomes Mary, the suffering woman as the path back to life and salvation: Schrader needed the Scorsese of 1976 to bring some ironic questioning to this arrangement, but on the other hand the Scorsese of 2016 would probably only have upped the level of tortured hysteria, and thus the cinematic restraint shown here is unquestionably preferable to the visual kitsch of SILENCE.
Rated 02 Jan 2019
kasperlKasperL
Rated 04 Nov 2018
80
86th
Hawke and Seyfried give quietly simmering performances in Schrader's tight, stylistically uncompromising and thematically rich comeback.
Rated 04 Nov 2018
jacobclark12jacobclark12
Rated 12 Jun 2018
100
99th
First Reformed affects me in ways few other films have managed. It is a tour de force in the art of juxtaposition, both thematically and technically. The way it uses opposing viewpoints to show the fear that can be created by a difference of opinion is staggering and asks questions that we are charged with answering. Ethan Hawke's incredible performance allows the audience to see the torment of being caught between authenticity and a façade and how it can drive us to take extreme action.
Rated 12 Jun 2018
cowfrappecowfrappe
Rated 21 May 2018
91
99th
The more I sit with this film, the more it grows deeper and smarter and truly breathtaking in my estimation. Wild and unpredictable and so carefully, thoughtfully made.
Rated 21 May 2018
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 19 May 2018
95
93rd
Viewed May 18, 2018. I'll be surprised if I see a better new movie in 2018. It's major. I think it has more to say about what it's like to live in our present era than just about any other made this decade.
Rated 19 May 2018
joelwatchesmoviesjoelwatchesmovies
Rated 04 Nov 2018
9
92nd
A devastating near-masterpiece. There were two questionable moments-that trip through nature, and the final exchange (both a happy and a sad ending could've been powerful, but this was just cliche)-but they're outweighed by the loaded theological pondering, the hopeless expose of environmental destruction and religious evils (see the contrast of the celebration plans with everything else), and the resulting descent into despair and anger that envelops the viewer. Wonderfully acted and shot.
Rated 04 Nov 2018
syntheseizurSyntheseizur
Rated 25 Sep 2018
85
83rd
Undeniably transgressive but generous with its perspective in its stark but inviting classical style. It puts word and image to our modern anxieties in their molten form and spikes them with a primordial dread. Beyond the recurring motif of the duality of hope and despair, the film touches on the isolating fallout of grief, the limits of faith, political polarization, and the moral and spiritual terror in participating in (and mentally divorcing oneself from) destructive social institutions.
Rated 25 Sep 2018
maborosimaborosi
Rated 26 Jul 2018
84
88th
this has the usual schrader go-tos but the direction is as strong as the writing for once. he tries out new things with surreal shots and tasteful sound design and it elevates the consistency of his writing a lot. the conflict between old time relijun n good ole christianity as an arm of big business + the republican party is expressed rather beautifully.
Rated 26 Jul 2018
iconogassediconogassed
Rated 10 Sep 2019
75
64th
"If it comes to a choice between the extermination of the fowls of the air and the lilies of the field and the extermination of a building fund, the organized church will elect--indeed, has already elected--to save the building fund...No wonder so many sermons are devoted exclusively to "spiritual" subjects. If one is living by the tithes of history's most destructive economy, then the disembodiment of the soul becomes the chief of worldly conveniences." - Wendell Berry
Rated 10 Sep 2019
twincinematwincinema
Rated 02 Mar 2019
80
75th
I have started to mix Pepto with my alcohol, and I think this film is onto something.
Rated 02 Mar 2019
corbadCorbad
Rated 21 Feb 2019
80
79th
Its early dialogue is masterful, playing out like a deep conversation with a silent audience, but as its themes diversify the writing becomes at times stilted and disingenuous, until finally the ending is a completely ineffectual misfire. The subtly creative photography and Ethan Hawke, however, communicating layers of pain as his character explores mortality and religiosity in the film's early acts, make for a very compelling character study.
Rated 21 Feb 2019
rossRoss
Rated 30 Jan 2019
65
64th
Perfect as input for discussion, but falls a little short as a great film.
Rated 30 Jan 2019
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 21 Nov 2018
98
95th
Searing, haunting drama is in essence a one-man show for Hawke's painfully intense man-of-the-cloth, serving as a distillation of Schrader's film-making desires and obsessions. Hawke is unexpectedly the perfect vessel here, digging deep and sounding dark notes like never before, and Seyfried is also a minor revelation, making a considerable amount of hay from her comparatively underwritten fantasy figure. Dreamlike (and intriguingly inconclusive) climax feels like a call-back to TAXI DRIVER.
Rated 21 Nov 2018
natebarriosnatebarrios
Rated 03 Jul 2018
80
87th
motherfucker, what?! Schrader on his "fuck it"-type shit. Cold, heavy, and calculated. First Reformed is gonna be re-interepreted for years, and deservedly so.
Rated 03 Jul 2018
jlfmJLFM
Rated 30 Jun 2018
90
96th
An absolutely agonizing experience (in the best and most painful way). A hypnotic existential thriller. Paul Schrader once said something to the effect of "the best movies begin as soon as the end credits roll," and in First Reformed, Schrader truly practices what he preaches.
Rated 30 Jun 2018
sellissellis
Rated 01 Jun 2018
94
95th
The most complete, purposely-crafted cinematic narrative I've seen in a long time. Ethan Hawke, with such restrained madness, gives the performance of his great career. Seyfried nails Schrader's ambiguously-warm female archetype. The visuals and editing are deliberate but striking - so drained of warmth that it feels we're riding psychological shotgun with Toller. If you've seen Taxi Driver, nothing here will surprise you. But if you don't mind what is a retelling for new fears, relish it.
Rated 01 Jun 2018
ecitizeneCitizen
Rated 22 Dec 2020
64
61st
Wow. All I can say is that I understand everything this priest was going through. Losing your faith is not so much a tragedy as a right of passage to the sterile sanity of mature adulthood. The ending was unexpected and exhilarating and something few could ever identify with or want to aspire to. I think he should have just given in to his base instincts and gone for the woman.
Rated 22 Dec 2020
aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 11 Nov 2019
7
94th
as aggressively referential as taxi driver and a lil too neatly dichotomous in totality, but quieter and more lived-in than i was expecting, trusting in hawke to evoke spiritual lack without much help beyond the gently imbalanced ways he's framed against the correspondingly fraudulent gift-church locale. the transcendent flourishes are bold and rapturous, but it's the despair that lingers; poison seeps from these words and faces, inadequate to contain all the suffering of the world.
Rated 11 Nov 2019
bofbof
Rated 30 Jun 2019
76
73rd
Everyone's already made the "What if Bergman made Taxi Driver" gag, but it's no less apt for that. Schrader has certainly come a long way since The Canyons. The austere look framing a story about lack of hope and connection as an agent of radicalization and fear, with no clear answer given. -10 for that silly dream scene.
Rated 30 Jun 2019
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 28 Jun 2019
5
93rd
I am overwhelmed. This classical, ascetic portrait of despair, disease, and defilement is immensely upsetting, but it also offers the exhilaration of witnessing a distinguished filmmaker's late-life apotheosis. From Bergman to Bresson, its influences are plain to see, but an occupation with contemporary politics ensures Schrader's film has a singular place alongside the canon of transcendental masterpieces he so reveres.
Rated 28 Jun 2019
buddhaloubuddhalou
Rated 16 Jan 2019
80
77th
A tragic and beautifully written exploration of spirituality, morality, faith, and the loss of these amidst despair, tragedy, and doubt. A mourning for a world gone mad. Beautiful cinematography and outstanding performances all around.
Rated 16 Jan 2019
chengmingchengming
Rated 31 Dec 2018
85
93rd
Several minutes in, I thought this was the kind of understated, meticulously crafted film like 45 Years or Amour that I'm so fond of. It ended up going quite a few other places, but still was brilliant throughout.
Rated 31 Dec 2018
langelundLangelund
Rated 24 Dec 2018
85
89th
Like Bergman making a 2017 remake of Taxi Driver.
Rated 24 Dec 2018
goneboygoneboy
Rated 24 Sep 2018
98
81st
Paul Schrader is back in top form here, his first legitimately great film since possibly Affliction. Ethan Hawke gives an extraordinary performance that made me re-evaluate the actor entirely, as I wasn't much of a fan of his before this. The ending may bother some, but I find it to be thought-provoking and haunting. This one really sneaks up on you. A great film.
Rated 24 Sep 2018
aaautinAAAutin
Rated 26 Aug 2018
59
68th
Guess we'll have to start calling him "Cedric the Disheartener" now...
Rated 26 Aug 2018
judo_koalaJudo Koala
Rated 05 Aug 2018
88
96th
Schrader launches us into the 21st century abyss of human greed and despair, forcing us to unflinchingly confront the loss of hope in a man who no longer understands how to assuage humankind's eternal struggle between Destruction and Creation. Lustmord's rumbling industrial overtones bleed with paranoia and unease as the frame's 4:3 ratio evokes the ascetic style of Bresson & Dreyer in translating all meaning through the human face. Some seriously heavy shit.
Rated 05 Aug 2018
bownBown
Rated 24 Jul 2018
89
91st
wait.....that was cedric the entertainer????? (i am still too bowled over by this movie to write anything other than a joke review right now. but also i legit didn't realise it was him)
Rated 24 Jul 2018
sebbysebby
Rated 04 Jul 2018
65
59th
Definitely somewhere in the top 10 eco-terrorist priest flicks released this decade.
Rated 04 Jul 2018
ericamblerericambler
Rated 01 Jul 2018
84
86th
Ethan Hawke's riveting performance epitomizes the pinpoint intensity of FIRST REFORMED. Beautifully written, the movie conveys a penetrating sense of moral unrest in the simplest of conversations and everyday routines. Its message is haunting: that anyone, under the right circumstances, can be driven to radical action when the balance of right and wrong seems so skewed, with so few apparent methods of recourse.
Rated 01 Jul 2018
zarkonZarkon
Rated 25 Jun 2018
85
73rd
It's a very refined film, but with all due respect, it seemed like a film made by a guy as old as Schrader. Reminded me of Fincher in that every element of the film is configured precisely how the creator intended. In Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle lived within a living, breathing New York with a colorful supporting cast. In First Reformed, everything about Ernst Toller -- his occupation, his health, the few people he interacts with -- feels too carefully crafted to drive the narrative forward.
Rated 25 Jun 2018
imnotlaughinimnotlaughin
Rated 12 Jun 2018
70
76th
A proper allegory connects an act or way of being with morally relevant effects that certainly follow. The Boy Who Cried Wolf, for example, connects the repeated act of lying to a loss of trust, thereby serving as a caution against lying. First Reformed, though masterful in other respects, mostly fails as an allegory because it's deprived of any necessary connection between the extremist ideologies it examines and the consequences which happen to befall the protagonist. Could have achieved more.
Rated 12 Jun 2018
feublofeublo
Rated 06 Jun 2018
90
90th
A slow-burner that becomes extreme when it needs to be. Completely relevant and haunting as it touches on many of life's anxieties. The narrative is sharp and unloads the film's heavy content in a natural manner.
Rated 06 Jun 2018
quintonjaminQuintonjamin
Rated 02 Aug 2020
90
90th
I was completely invested in this from the first scene. It has a lot of interesting and challenging things to say and I thought the ending was perfect. It's a movie that I will be thinking about for weeks. Maybe my new favorite from 2018.
Rated 02 Aug 2020
arossaross
Rated 12 Apr 2020
83
72nd
Leaves a lot for you to think about and digest. SPOILERS -> Didn't like the flying around scene, but the end, which also seems to be a dream/vision was great.
Rated 12 Apr 2020
braddad68braddad68
Rated 27 Oct 2019
96
91st
This appears to be a remake of Winter Light, which I loved. Well done, great performance by Hawke and a powerful film.
Rated 27 Oct 2019
cowmanCowman
Rated 21 May 2019
80
89th
Might be the darkest movie I've seen in a couple of years. Great ice-cold cinematography and powerful performance by Hawke. It's difficult not to relate this to certain elements of ‘taxi driver', so the plot comes off as a rehash. Very last scene wasn't needed, I appreciate my dose of bleakness preferably without a sparkle of hope.
Rated 21 May 2019
mandymandy
Rated 07 May 2019
8
92nd
A slow start builds to a unexpected climax - A gripping central performance and arresting cinematography. Thought Provoking.
Rated 07 May 2019
fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 31 Mar 2019
5
20th
From its timely socio-political concerns to its conflicted and tormented protagonist, all the ingredients to make a legitimately great film were there. But without the proper directorial chops to effectively convey his vision and ideas with cinematic verve, Schrader's film came across a grating and mostly unconvincing retread of earlier, greater works it is clearly inspired by. Also, De Palma called, he wants his ending back.
Rated 31 Mar 2019
neonmanNeonman
Rated 30 Mar 2019
90
92nd
For those who like their coffee black and their water chilled, Schrader faithfully updates the theological musings of the films of his inspirations Bergman, Bresson, and Dreyer to a modern age of climate change, a global issue which is fiercely heaped on thick here, intensifying the personal angst of the troubled Father Toller -- he's Travis Bickle in clerical clothing, growingly crazed and contradictory as he allows his existential anxiety to consume him and justify his villainy.
Rated 30 Mar 2019
abunchofcatsABUNCHOFCATS
Rated 21 Mar 2019
91
89th
Paul Schrader and Ethan Hawke were robbed.
Rated 21 Mar 2019
adamj1982adamj1982
Rated 19 Mar 2019
50
19th
>:< you don't use draino in a toilet
Rated 19 Mar 2019
lofisofilofisofi
Rated 08 Mar 2019
78
81st
effectively explores imperialism, nationalism, faith and environmentalism all at once
Rated 08 Mar 2019
vinegarbobVinegarBob
Rated 26 Feb 2019
85
90th
Schrader's take on Bresson's Diary of A Country Priest is a pretty successful updating, with some scathing commentary about organized religion on the one side and modern life in general on the other. It's a depressing glimpse into a little pressure cooker of alienation, disappointment and desperation that starts off quietly disturbing and slowly turns the heat up until something has to give - a la Taxi Driver. Hawke anchors the madness with a very nuanced performance.
Rated 26 Feb 2019
piconomiconPiconomicon
Rated 16 Feb 2019
90
82nd
Amazing script and performances all around. The cinematography is great, as well, and done using the academy aspect ratio which reinforces the closeness at times, and loneliness in others. The tenseness over the last act is great, and the story and tone was not negatively affected by an ambiguous ending. The pacing is fairly solid except for Toller's turn from passive pastor to vanguard for environmentalism, which seemed to happen suddenly and only due to one contentious conversation
Rated 16 Feb 2019
shewasSheWas
Rated 15 Feb 2019
73
75th
The problem with being holy is that drinking anything but ajax just doesn't purifies enough
Rated 15 Feb 2019
thuckabethuckabe
Rated 09 Feb 2019
91
87th
Hawke, you beautiful bastard.
Rated 09 Feb 2019
mattorama12mattorama12
Rated 03 Feb 2019
77
82nd
I'm hesitant to even rate this, as I feel like my thoughts need a few weeks to fully develop on it. I haven't wrapped my head around what even happened, let alone all that it's saying. But I know for certain that it will stick with me.
Rated 03 Feb 2019
evilmangoesEvilMangoes
Rated 29 Jan 2019
87
65th
A-
Rated 29 Jan 2019
zwykzwyk
Rated 20 Jan 2019
70
59th
Very good screenplay; I generally don't like Hawke's acting in other movies, but this performance is very good; sober direction. Good story development.
Rated 20 Jan 2019
amerigoamerigo
Rated 12 Jan 2019
76
41st
Just another conventional arthouse piece aimed at accumulating all the Academy's awards. Really though, it's what a grimdark eco-drama where everything is bland, gray, and terrible. Some oddities here and there that are either homages, tributes or nods at innovation, but otherwise it treads all-too familiar ground. Disappointing mostly because there were moments that were utterly transfixing.
Rated 12 Jan 2019
actionbergActionberg
Rated 11 Jan 2019
80
71st
Taxi Driver meets Winter Light.
Rated 11 Jan 2019
sourheartsourheart
Rated 10 Jan 2019
4
72nd
Everything about it so measured and beautiful (framing especially) - great ending - ned to go back to book
Rated 10 Jan 2019
igormacheteigormachete
Rated 04 Jan 2019
93
94th
Quality filmmaking
Rated 04 Jan 2019
calexicoCalexico
Rated 02 Jan 2019
70
36th
Enjoyed it, but not as much as I hoped. Ethan Hawke's character was fairly pathetic/inept, and this lent the whole movie a slight tone of irreverence/mockery that I wasn't expecting—more black comedy than existential drama. Still enjoyed the storytelling, visuals, and acting.
Rated 02 Jan 2019
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 31 Dec 2018
5
91st
An old-school religious film, serious theological issues discussed seriously, even shot in academy ratio, but with an anxiety most modern: the despair of living in a world that may soon be beyond saving, due to the cruelty with which we have so long treated it. Equal parts Winter Light, Diary of a Country Priest, Ordet, and with a dash of Tarkovsky's metaphysical incertitude, delivered at just the right moments to make your jaw drop in (rapturous?) awe. A career film from Schrader.
Rated 31 Dec 2018
wwallce4prezWWallce4prez
Rated 23 Dec 2018
81
77th
This will need to sit with me awhile, but, from first glance, this is obviously a very major work from Schrader. Hawke is incredible as a tortured and sad character on the edge of losing his faith. How this ties together with the supporting characters is meticulous crafted and beautifully shot. A haunting and challenging film.
Rated 23 Dec 2018
sveneriksvenerik
Rated 23 Nov 2018
95
95th
Masterful, haunting, wry, devastating, and oh so resonant with our desperate times. Hawke is a marvel. Schrader deftly plays with our expectations and doesn't let the homages to Bresson, Dreyer and Bergman (as well as his own work) overwhelm this powerful film.
Rated 23 Nov 2018
siphus007siphus007
Rated 09 Nov 2018
82
81st
While admittedly a bit artistically self-indulgent, I was fascinated by nearly every minute of this dialogue-heavy, morbidly introspective, haunting, and inexplicably strange arthouse film. This falls into that odd niche of great films that I can't suggest, as it would be impossible to predict if anyone I know would also enjoy it.
Rated 09 Nov 2018
lonewolf2003Lonewolf2003
Rated 16 Oct 2018
82
88th
an intense portrait of a man losing his faith, radicalising and seeking redemption
Rated 16 Oct 2018
sadmanSadman
Rated 10 Sep 2018
85
81st
The movie had me thoroughly invested until the very end, but unfortunately the ending really didn't gel with me because of certain expectations. I think this will do much better on a rewatch. Ethan Hawke gives his best performance in years, rivaling Jesse. The screenplay is razor sharp and refreshingly topical up until the ending. A certain scene did not have the transcendent effect it aimed for. However, I am not built for transcendence, so I admired the scene for going there all the same.
Rated 10 Sep 2018
jlewisjlewis
Rated 09 Sep 2018
80
45th
Dude needs to stop eating so much beetroot and take a trip to Ikea
Rated 09 Sep 2018
prowlerprowler
Rated 24 Aug 2018
72
71st
Taxi Driver does church. Very engaging watch, but a tame aftertaste. I wanna see the version where the alt-right kid in the therapy circle gets his world vision bolstered by extreme priests. Oh wait, that's already happening everywhere.
Rated 24 Aug 2018
schnofelschnofel
Rated 03 Aug 2018
34
18th
The environmental themes Schrader brings up are a red herring. His concerns are depression and despair, and the hope that love will save us. It may. The film itself is a frozen quiche heated up in a microwave.
Rated 03 Aug 2018
lady_moeLady Moe
Rated 28 Jul 2018
95
93rd
Shook me up bad the first time I saw it in theaters. In my life I have felt helpless to change the world around me. One wonders about the capacity in all of us to take matters into our own hands when pushed far enough and left without nothing else to lose. A true spiritual sequel to Taxi Driver.
Rated 28 Jul 2018
semioticussemioticus
Rated 24 Jul 2018
88
91st
I love movies that subtly make you think about deep issues without getting preachy. Both Hawke and Seyfried do a very good job in bringing life to their characters, but Ettinger really steals the show in his scenes. It's beautifully shot and has a smart screenplay. There are a couple of things one could nitpick about, but you can easily understand the purpose behind every scene in retrospect.
Rated 24 Jul 2018
sammetalSamMetal
Rated 21 Apr 2023
10
11th
So priest just listens to one Green guy and suddenly gets convinced that everything the media says about climate change has to be true.
Rated 21 Apr 2023
doyler29doyler29
Rated 04 Jun 2020
70
42nd
What this film really is is "Winter Light" with Travis Bickle as the protagonist. While that's hardly an uninteresting idea, I thought there was very little narartive logic to Hawke's descent in this film. One minute he's making fairly reasonable pleas about the necessity of living with despair, the next he's an eco-terrorist. I don't think it's terrible, but I don't think it's particularly good either.
Rated 04 Jun 2020
overratedoverrated
Rated 26 May 2020
76
86th
Some people here going off about how this is Schrader's worst film, whoever you are go fuck yourselves I sat through The Canyons.
Rated 26 May 2020
addsAdds
Rated 03 Jan 2020
35
9th
All the religious stuff put me off. I hated the sharp veer into art-house. What could have been a grounded movie ended up pretentious. The last few moments were confusing and repulsive.
Rated 03 Jan 2020
fenixdownfenixdown
Rated 27 Nov 2019
86
94th
Owns.
Rated 27 Nov 2019
pyrosexualpyrosexual
Rated 12 Jul 2019
50
6th
I really don't understand all the Taxi Driver comparisons. Not only is it nothing like Taxi Driver, it is also hands down the shittiest Paul Schrader movie I've ever seen. Don't get me wrong, Dog Eat Dog and Dying of the Light are complete garbage. But at least they have Nicolas Cage being fairly ridiculous so at least those are somewhat entertaining. Ethan Hawke is utterly devoid of personality, so this just drags.
Rated 12 Jul 2019
forrestqForrestQ
Rated 11 Jul 2019
51
19th
Clearly the people referring to this movie being like Taxi Driver haven't seen Winter's Light.
Rated 11 Jul 2019
scorpusScorpus
Rated 16 Mar 2019
64
29th
Superb acting from Hawke isn't quite enough to save a slow first half hour, heavy-handed themes and a weird, underdeveloped conclusion
Rated 16 Mar 2019
joojooJooJoo
Rated 07 Mar 2019
3
32nd
remember Winter Light?????
Rated 07 Mar 2019
peyrinpeyrin
Rated 07 Feb 2019
80
81st
The lifenessness of winter, the crushing emptiness of a small town, the confining letterboxing, the striking lack of camera movement all come together to form a sense of despair that defines the visual language of the film. Ultimately though I think a viewer needs to be at a stage in their life where they're really wrestling with the themes of mortality and resignation to fully appreciate this.
Rated 07 Feb 2019
kavuKavu
Rated 01 Feb 2019
74
54th
Well written and decently directed. I felt Hawke and Seyfried fell a bit short of their roles though.
Rated 01 Feb 2019
elmakebabielmakebabi
Rated 14 Jan 2019
42
13th
Please don't insult Bergman by comparing this with Winter Light.
Rated 14 Jan 2019
medinavimedinavi
Rated 26 Dec 2018
79
69th
Paul Schrader tartışılmaz yazarlık yeteneğinin yanına bence hala o seviyede bir yönetmenlik koyamıyor. Ama filmin hikayesel altyapısı ve alegorileri o kadar iyi , ve anlattığı şey hakkında o kadar cesur ki çoğu yerde onu düşünecek vakit bile bulamıyorsunuz.
Rated 26 Dec 2018
tenhastenhas
Rated 22 Dec 2018
90
91st
Schrader presents his masterpiece!
Rated 22 Dec 2018
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 20 Dec 2018
90
95th
Late masterpiece that dares to turn Taxi Driver into a film about religious belief and ecological ativism in the 21st century. Do we need another kind of prayer? What is like to preach in an empty, touristic church? What is like having powerful, greedy men who are destryoing Earth in a sacred place? The thin boundaries between terrorism, suicide and falling in love. This is just pure Schrader.
Rated 20 Dec 2018
jschlanskyJSchlansky
Rated 16 Dec 2018
83
83rd
A24 is my only church
Rated 16 Dec 2018
fancymikeFancyMike
Rated 11 Dec 2018
4
60th
kind of hate how much i liked this
Rated 11 Dec 2018
edwardedward
Rated 11 Dec 2018
97
96th
Every word, every action, every second of this film has value, ingenuity and grace. No fluff, no bullshit, no time wasted. First Reformed is one of the most satisfying and intelligent films ever written. The film also serves a splendid homage to some of Schrader's most beloved filmmakers such as Bresson and Bergman. Ethan Hawke was a magnificent choice for the lead, as he clearly comprehends the message and performs beautifully. http://a24awards.com/film/firstreformed/FIRST_REFORMED_script.pdf
Rated 11 Dec 2018
auhasarderikauhasarderik
Rated 08 Dec 2018
7
61st
This seems to be informed by Bresson-DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST and Bergman-WINTER LIGHT, but its weakness for paranoid political violence (TAXI DRIVER) and visceral shock are Schrader's own. It's remarkably and courageously written, has the uneasy feeling of a confession of inner torments, but it makes for a very unholy mix. And that ending will leave you in agony in more than one way.
Rated 08 Dec 2018
darrenDarren
Rated 23 Nov 2018
89
90th
Cedric the entertainer comes outta nowhere
Rated 23 Nov 2018
icarusIcarus
Rated 19 Nov 2018
88
85th
The Winter Light comparisons abound in this, even as Schrader takes the film in some significantly different directions. But the fundamental struggle with the life of faith remains intact, and as bracing as ever. This is the best thing I've ever seen from Schrader.
Rated 19 Nov 2018
nuotionuotio
Rated 25 Sep 2018
59
63rd
A solid film from Schrader with shades of Taxi Driver and an excellent performance by Hawke. It makes you think which is a rare thing these days. Many questions are left unanswered, and while I respect that, providing more background information might have made the ending more believable and improved the film. Visually it looks a bit cheap in the movie-of-the-week fashion; like the photography and production values were not on the same level as the performances, script and direction.
Rated 25 Sep 2018
yoshinarutoYoshinaruto
Rated 17 Sep 2018
55
32nd
I have no idea what to rate this. For the first half I found it incredibly dull. I enjoyed the acting and understood that the techniques Schrader used were intentional. At some point a switch flipped, and I was suddenly interested in Hawke’s character and how the film would unfold. Perhaps it was around the time the score kicked in? It’s not a film for those wanting pure entertainment. It requires your full attention. For me it was worth seeing, second half was quite good.
Rated 17 Sep 2018
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 14 Sep 2018
35
20th
I never cared that much for "priest movies" even when they came from great European directors. And Schrader's is markedly inferior. It's part character drama baked into a parable, part ham-fisted sermon on climate change, directed at the church of all people. Burning though that issue may be, Schrader has completely lost his touch as a writer and I think it's his most consistently bad script to date.
Rated 14 Sep 2018
yiannosYiannos
Rated 04 Sep 2018
70
72nd
Reconsolidation or remix? You decide. What is less arguable is that it's easily Schrader's best work in years, perhaps decades, even if it occasionally plays like a compilation of his greatest hits combined with a choice selection of old Euro 'arthouse' favs. Think Diary of a Country Priest meets Taxi Driver by way of Winter Light. Hawke continues to improve with age, playing a priest struggling to come to terms with the proverbial abyss, but the ending feels like a complete cop out. 68-70.
Rated 04 Sep 2018
noisemakerNoiseMaker
Rated 31 Aug 2018
76
65th
Starts off real nice, but then it totally flips out.
Rated 31 Aug 2018
pratchett3Pratchett3
Rated 28 Aug 2018
7
50th
got a little too weird toward the end. beautiful cinematography, awesome soundtrack.
Rated 28 Aug 2018

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