First Reformed

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world. The whole film shows us the pure existential dread, and cynicism that comes when reality hits a belief we have known as truth our whole lives. *God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. * Is an idea from Nietzsche that reminds me so much of this film. What God represents humanity are certainty, truth, meaning and objective morality. But, as humanity gained enlightenment through the study of the sciences. And as the belief of God slowly deteriorates in the west, Nietzsche warned us of the consequences of slowly killing the source of our moral values, purpose and truth. Which in turn can result in our re-evaluation of our values, and meaning in life the same way Nietzsche questioned the nature of morality without the source of certainty of God. And in some cases it can turn in to extreme nihilism and cynicism. And we actually see Toller slowly go through this process of questioning his faith, values, and meaning in life—and how God or religion shapes all those. As he gains enlightenment through Michael and his ideas, we see Toller slowly stray away from God and the values God holds. As the cruelty of reality collides with the certainty of belief, we see Toller break, but at the same time enlightened. Because as he lets go of the source morality, and purpose he once held in God—he finds comfort in a new belief in Michael's ideas. Which in the end we see Toller's pure despair and existential dread as a result of his enlightenment. Can God forgive us for what we've done to this world?