First Reformed (Mini Review/Ramble)

Anyone who knows me knows I want to work in film. I would love direct/write or edit, and even writing film theory or reviews would make me happy. Fewer know that my second choice is a career in politics. After that? Well, I think I found my third choice in First Reformed. A pastor. I don't agree with most of what the church preaches at its higher levels but people like Ethan Hawke's character here (Rev. Ernst Toller) are there on the ground to give people the truth they need to hear. Not what they want to hear. In a way, he is a Friedrich Nietzsche of the church. He's Zarathustra, he admits we're flawed but when told the people don't listen. If making mistakes is a part of learning wouldn't admitting those mistakes and flaws be a part of that development too? How can we become our best selves if we don’t develop? Toller is stuck in this predicament just like Nietzsche was.

There is an answer to a quagmire, which doesn’t come easy. There certainly isn’t a universal one at least. On an individual level is a different matter. Toller doesn’t want to sugar coat things because he doesn’t want to deal with the fall from hope into despair. He accepts that it’s wiser to accept despair’s inherent tie to hope. Throughout the film, he encounters people who are either deep with despair or high on hope. On both ends, he confronts people who favour perspectivism instead of the truth. How are despair and hope so close despite being opposites? It's yet another one of life’s eternal struggles.

So why would I want to become a pastor? Well, philosophy is often seen as a medium with no real-world application. With an understanding from all sides, a person can aspire people in a direction that suits them. One where can walk the line of despair and hope to overcome this battle and become what Nietzsche calls a ‘superman’. Being a pastor means being there for your constituents. Something the pope or arch bishop of Canterbury doesn't do. To be the catalyse that helps people realise a change within themselves is certainly a lot easier to do as a pastor than a film director after all…

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The previous thoughts were more focused on the personal experience of watching this movie than a removed one. So here is some thoughts on the technical aspects.

On a technical level, First Reformed might just be the best-framed movie of the year. While the fabrication of natural light in the interior scenes is impressive its digital image leaves much to be desired. For a film about a small corner of the world and a man who is the latest part of a 250-year-old church, a film aesthetic would’ve helped greatly. This is perhaps the only flaw of the movie.

Ethan Hawke is one of the best actors today. I forgot it was him. This doesn’t mean I was invested in the story so much I put everything to the back of my mind. After all, this movie is one that wants to elicit a mental reaction. Hawke’s acting style is far more natural than DDL or Joaquin Phoenix. This helps put emphasis on ideas conveyed through his character and his journey is able to shine rather than an audience member being in awe of a performance the whole time. Though both acting styles have their advantages, Hawke is undoubtedly the best natural actor working today.

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What did you think of First Reformed?