First Reformed

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Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities and 5,000-strong flock. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman must confront his past and look into his own spiritual abyss. 113 minutes

Written and directed by Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver)

This profile of Ethan Hawke was published last week in the NY Times

First Reformed Is AN EPIPHANY! Ethan Hawke is too. -The New York Times

Paul Schrader’s movie is AN ASTOUNDING MEDITATION ON FAITH AND DOUBT. It’s a remarkable addition to the small but growing canon of American films that aren’t afraid to stare straight into an abyss with all of the implications — moral, ethical, political, and religious — that are required for this moment in our history. First Reformed is a confounding stunner of a movie and richly deserves our full, serious attention. -Vox

Far from being simply Taxi Driver 2.0, it is the summation of a career. Here, old bottles are filled with new variations on trusty themes; the full-bodied flavors of environmentalism, terrorism and America’s twin building blocks of Christianity and capitalism uncorked and rolled around the mouth before being spat out. First Reformed is a film worthy of worship. -Total Film

REQUIRED VIEWING FOR AMBITIOUS CINEPHILES. -Seattle Times