First Reformed

98/100 It took a couple days for the gravitas of this film to really sink in. A cool, calculated, almost detached exploration of what it means to possess creaturely freedom. The sheer agony of such chattel. The 4:3 aspect ratio, the stationary disposition of the cinematography, it all folds into the very illusion and inexorability of choice. There is no choice between creation and destruction. Between belief and disbelief, or even hope and despair. There’s almost a Calvinist sensibility to the piece. After all, it’s obvious we do not know the mind of God—but have we ever even considered the possibility that we might not know the mind of man either? The latter is a more daunting project, one Schrader approaches (but does not necessarily wish to answer) under the purview of one Reverend Toller. An undertaking, of course, that could be realized by none other than the brilliant Ethan Hawke!