First Reformed
Description
As a nearby megachurch steadily claims the dwindling congregation of Reverend Toller (an unforgettable Ethan Hawke), he finds newfound meaning (and a reawakened desire) when a lovely parishioner named Mary comes for counseling about her increasingly unstable husband. Returning to topics consistent throughout his remarkable, award-winning body of work such as religion, obsession, and rage, writer/director Paul Schrader (Kanbar Award, Festival 2015) has made one of the defining films of his career. Amanda Seyfried and Cedric the Entertainer turn in memorable supporting performances.
“Schrader is only seventy-one, and I trust that he has many years of artistic creation ahead of him. But First Reformed nonetheless has the feeling of a summation, of a teeming and roiling avowal of his longtime obsessions, from the distant pressure of family life as a child to the repellent politics currently unfolding daily.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
Screenplays for The Yakuza (1974, co-written with Robert Towne) and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1975) announced Paul Schrader as one of the major talents of his generation. After partnering on screenplays for Obsession (1976) and Rolling Thunder (1977), Schrader made his directing debut with Blue Collar (1978). Since then, he has continued to write for other filmmakers, including three more collaborations with Scorsese, Raging Bull (1980), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Bringing Out the Dead (1999), while directing such features as American Gigolo (1980), Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Affliction (1997), Auto Focus (2002), and The Canyons (2013). Paul Schrader received SFFILM’s Kanbar Award in 2015.
Film Details
Language English
Year 2017
Runtime 112
Country USA
Director Paul Schrader
Producer Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Frank Murray, Jack Binder, Greg Clark, Victoria Hill, Gary Hamilton, Deepak Sikka
Writer Paul Schrader
Editor Benjamin Rodriguez, Jr.
Cinematographer Alexander Dynan
Music Brian Williams
Cast Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric Kyles