First Reformed

First Reformed

IMDB 7.1, Tomatometer 93%, Audience 68%

This movie stars Ethan Hawke as a Reverend at a small church in New York  that has been around since settlers first came to America. He is a man that is alone and private in his life until he meets Amanda Seyfried’s character Mary and her husband. The interesting part of this move is that as Hawke is going though his daily chores he is narrating his emotions and journaling them. The mundane turns hectic pretty quickly after he meets this couple and begins to really listen to the views of Mary’s husband Micheal who believes it is his mission to teach the world about how industrialism is destroying it.

There is an eerie conversation between Micheal and The Reverend foreshadowing martyrdom and what it means to die for one’s cause. That conversation stuck with me after viewing this movie because he is wanting to examine the mindset of true martyrs throughout history. The other item that stuck with me is that The Reverend is responsible for giving tours of the church and asking people to buy merch to help support the church. As a person who spent years working in the church, I felt the irony and grueling nature of not just having a job to do but having to talk others daily into the cause. This movie is dark at times and sad at times. It takes you on a journey of what our true beliefs are and how far we are willing to go to prove to ourselves that we are correct.

Pros: Very thought provoking

Cons: Very sad and disheartening view of life.

Overall I give this 8 out of 10.