First Reformed

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Movie
Original title First Reformed
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2017
length 118 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Paul Schrader
script Paul Schrader
production Jack Binder ,
Greg Clark ,
Gary Hamilton ,
Victoria Hill ,
Frank Murray ,
Deepak Sikka ,
Christine Vachon ,
David Hinojosa
music Brian Williams
camera Alexander Dynan
cut Benjamin Rodriguez Jr.
occupation

First Reformed is an American thriller by Paul Schrader that premiered on August 31, 2017 as part of the Venice Film Festival and was released in selected US cinemas on May 18, 2018.

In the film drama , the former military priest Ernst Toller looks after a small parish in New York State. One day he is asked by the desperate Mary to give her husband Michael spiritual support.

Schrader received a nomination for best screenplay at the 2019 Academy Awards .

action

Michael asks himself what kind of world his unborn child will live in due to global warming

The former military priest Ernst Toller now looks after a small parish in the small town of Snowbridge in New York State. The two hundred and fifty year old church, which is made of white wood, is furnished with Puritan pews and belongs to the Dutch Reformed Church, still attracts tourists from time to time, which is why he calls the building, which is viewed almost like a museum piece, a "souvenir shop". His church is also significant because it was part of the Underground Railroad and one of its predecessors hid fugitive slaves there.

His congregation has only a few members who regularly attend church services. Even if Toller lost his son in the Iraq war, which weighed heavily on him and led to the end of his marriage, he goes about his work with a lot of passion, but is also plagued by many religious doubts. Toller has therefore started to keep a diary. This is a small experiment for him, and he wants to destroy it again at some point. Since he has been plagued by various ailments for a few weeks now, the 46-year-old often uses alcohol at home.

One day, Mary Mensana, one of his regular churchgoers, asks him to give her husband Michael spiritual support. Michael is a committed environmental activist who firmly believes that climate change should prevent children from being brought into this world, but Mary is five months pregnant and wants to keep the baby. Michael was recently released from a Canadian prison. Toller meets Michael in their apartment the next day, drinks tea with him and listens to the young man's story of the apocalyptic end of the world. Toller feels Michael's desperation. He tries to reassure him that the world is in trouble, but it will not die. Even if he finds the conversation with Michael invigorating, Toller begins to doubt both his belief and his purpose in life by dealing with this topic. Mary found her husband's explosives belt in the garage, which Toller is taking home. When the Reverend goes to a park to meet Michael again, he finds him dead. Michael killed himself with a gun. Toller finds his will in Mary and Michael's house.

Toller meets with Joel Jeffers, district director for Abundant Life Church. A service is planned for the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the founding of his church, at which the governor should also be present. Like the Abundant Life Church itself, the celebrations will be sponsored by Ed Balq, a local entrepreneur. A disagreement with the businessman at a meeting turns into a solid argument, almost an ideological war. Balq feels that the Abundant Life Church would take a political stance if it put itself in touch with Michael's cause. He also indirectly accuses Toller of being responsible for Michael's suicide, and says he should therefore hold back on questions about the importance of God's creation. Mary doesn't think Toller was to blame for her husband's death. It is also she who shows the Reverend that by simply cycling, which Toller had not done for a long time, one is doing something good for the body, and with her he has been experiencing again for a long time what real physicality means. The Reverend begins researching the state of the world on the Internet and is as concerned as Michael was before.

Toller has been putting off urgent visits to the doctor for weeks. After an examination at the hospital, he learns that he may have cancer. Toller recalls the Revelation of John 11; 18. In a conversation with Jeffers, he talks about his worries about God's creatures. However, he replies that God has already destroyed life for 40 days and 40 nights. On the morning of his church's celebrations, Toller puts on his explosives jacket.

production

Direction and script

Director Paul Schrader at the Montclair Film Festival in May 2018

"When Christians become pathological, they begin to confuse the suffering of Jesus with their own."

- Paul Schrader

Directed by Paul Schrader , who also wrote the script. In an interview with the actor Nicolas Cage , Schrader said about his protagonist that Reverend Toller was a sick man and full of despair, what Sören Kierkegaard called " the sickness to death ". Toller is trying to fix this somehow, either through church rituals or alcohol or a diary. And then he meets this boy, who is also desperate, and he does not help the boy until he is also infected by his "virus", which he found interesting.

When asked why topics such as self-destruction, self-extinction and suicide are much more prominent in First Reformed than in his film Taxi Driver , Schrader answered in an interview with Gabriel Brönnimann in the TagesWoche : “It is a pathology that is deeply anchored in Christianity. Christianity is so full of blood - the sacrifices in ancient Jerusalem, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the transubstantiation in the mass, in blood, in blood, in blood, washed in blood, the blood from Immanuel's veins ... oh. Everything soaked in blood. When Christians become pathological, they begin to confuse the suffering of Jesus with their own. ”Those who suffer enough, like Jesus, can secure their place in heaven, Schrader continued, citing as examples people who take part in an Easter procession and let yourself be nailed to the cross: "It arises from the temptation to be able to save yourself actively instead of being able to accept the gift of redemption through Christ." In his film Toller had dedicated himself to suffering, only Pastor Jeffers reminded him that God does not want us to suffer.

Schrader himself was raised in a strictly religious home, and religion is a central element in his own biography. As a member of one of the Dutch Reformed Churches , which belongs to the Reformed churches , Schrader received a Calvinist upbringing, and reading the Bible was part of the “daily bread” of his radical Protestant family. Schrader has lasting memories of religious life in particular when they lived in an area with many Polish Catholics in his childhood. When he was 17 years old, he was allowed to go to the cinema with his aunt for the first time in the summer and saw the film Song of the Rebel with Elvis Presley there. He actually wanted to be a priest at the time, but realized during his studies in New York that he was more interested in films than religion, which is why he went to the University of California in Los Angeles to study film arts. At first he worked as a film critic, later he wrote scripts and after the success of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver from 1976, for which he also wrote the screenplay, he had also started directing himself. Yet Schrader never forgot his religious upbringing. So he wrote a book on spirituality and films called Transcendental Style in Film . In this groundbreaking study, according to Steven D. Greydanus of the National Catholic Register , published when Schrader was only 26, he examined spiritually evocative techniques that he associated with selected filmmakers, including Robert Bresson . Schrader's own interests as a filmmaker, however, usually ran in other directions, according to Greydanus.

In an interview with Gabriel Brönnimann, Schrader said that First Reformed was his first transcendental and his only spiritual film in this style. Schrader said that three years before the film was released, while he was talking to Paweł Pawlikowski about his film Ida at a festival in New York, he started talking to him about spiritual cinema. On the way back he suddenly realized that the time had come to write the film that he had always said he would never write. So Schrader decided to make a film about the spiritual, the life of the soul.

Cast and filming

The shooting took place in Douglaston in Queens, among other places. Toller's Church is the Zion Episcopal Church located there

Ethan Hawke can be seen in the role of Reverend Ernst Toller, who, like Schrader, is from Michigan. Richard Brody from the New Yorker notes that the protagonist's name is identical to Ernst Toller , a German-Jewish playwright and left-wing socialist revolutionary, who committed suicide in New York in 1939. According to Schrader, this was intended. Amanda Seyfried took on the role of Mary, who was looking for help with Toller, Philip Ettinger played her husband Michael. Van Hansis took on the role of Roger and Michael Gaston played Edward 'Ed' Balq. On casting the role of Toller's colleague Pastor Jeffers with black actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer , who appears to be in complete contrast to Toller, Schrader said one of the reasons was to get away from that bias against a serious white actor, what would have automatically made him a Pat Robertson . He also liked Cedric's great smile, which makes the faces of the people who meet him shine.

The shooting took place in January and February 2017 in Albany , New York, and extended over 20 days of shooting. Alexander Dynan acted as cameraman , who shot the film in an aspect ratio of 1.37: 1. According to Filmmaker Magazine , the recordings are anything but colorful, contain gray, green and purple tones and thus use a color palette that corresponds to the difficult themes of the film, such as the disease of the soul and the endangered human race. Schrader actually wanted to shoot the film in black and white, but his donors had asked for a film in color.

Film music and publication

The film music was composed by Brian Williams , who is best known for his music project Lustmord. The Abundant Life Church boys' choir sings Neil Young's environmental anthem Who's Gonna Stand Up? A soundtrack that includes eight pieces of music was released in January 2019.

The film premiered on August 31, 2017 at the Venice Film Festival , where it was shown in the main competition and was nominated for the Golden Lion. From September 11, 2017, it was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival . A trailer for the film was released at the end of March 2018. Also in March 2018, the film was presented at the South by Southwest Film Festival and in early May 2018 at the Montclair Film Festival and was shown in selected US cinemas on May 18, 2018. It premiered in the UK at Sundance London in early June 2018. In Switzerland, the film was shown for the first time in June 2018 at the Bildrausch Filmfest in Basel. In June and July 2018, the film was shown at the Munich Film Festival as part of the competition and celebrated its German premiere here. In August 2018 there was a screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Locarno Festival . In October 2018 it was shown at the Viennale . In January 2019 the film was shown as part of the Unknown Pleasures festival in Berlin's Arsenal . The film has been available for download on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service since July 1, 2019 .

reception

Reviews

The film was able to convince 93 percent of the critics at Rotten Tomatoes and received an average rating of 8.3 out of a possible 10 points.

Brigitte Häring from SRF says that First Reformed is a wonderful and at the same time shocking film in its severity, its consistency and its consistent morality, without being morally pissed off and thus certainly one of the most exciting contributions to the Reformation year .

Brian Tallerico, a critic of Roger Ebert , says First Reformed is a film full of fascinating conversations, accompanied by an absolutely authentic performance by Ethan Hawkes . In addition, it is a deeply theological film that moves between hope and despair. The film shows that it is difficult to maintain hope and faith when illness is destroying the body and the world around you threatens to end.

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky from AV Club says that Paul Schrader directed more quietly and sensitively than any of his previous films and that Hawke can be seen in one of his most beautiful and moving roles. In the course of the film, it shows in all seriousness how a soul tries to survive in difficult times, according to Vishnevetsky.

Owen Gleiberman of Variety says that in parts the film reminds him of Ingmar Bergman's light in winter because a pastor in a remote church is haunted by his inability to save their souls. Gleiberman says the strange thing about First Reformed is that the more over-the-top the film becomes, the more you can't stop watching. The climax of the film, when Toller, accompanied by the song Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, puts on the vest with the explosive device, he describes as a crazy epiphany of cleansing from sin.

Lory Roebuck from the Aargauer Zeitung describes the film as "a small masterpiece, wonderfully slow and sparsely told - a film for everyone who is fed up with the action-packed sequels from Hollywood."

Toronto Star's Peter Howell says Schrader is a master of sober, on-screen stories of existential crises, which he amplifies here with his genuine concern for the destruction of the environment. His main character, Ethan Hawke, is his extremely excellent avatar, who quietly expresses the physical and mental pain of a man torn between abstinence and extreme behavior, Howell said.

Awards (selection)

From the American Film Institute was First Reformed received 10 of the films of the year 2018 in the top. Below is a selection of other awards and nominations.

Ethan Hawke , here at the screening of the film at the Montclair Film Festival in May 2018, took on the lead role from Reverend Ernst Toller

Bildrausch Filmfest 2018

  • Nomination for the Bildrausch film award

Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2019

Munich Film Festival 2018

  • Nomination in the competition

Gotham Awards 2018

Independent Spirit Awards 2019

  • Nomination for Best Film (Jack Binder, Greg Clark, Gary Hamilton, Victoria Hill, David Hinojosa, Frank Murray, Deepak Sikka, Christine Vachon)
  • Nomination for Best Director (Paul Schrader)
  • Nomination for Best Screenplay (Paul Schrader)
  • Award as best lead actor (Ethan Hawke)

Venice International Film Festival 2017

  • Nomination for the Golden Lion (Paul Schrader)
  • Received the Green Drop Award (Paul Schrader)

London Critics' Circle Film Awards 2019

  • Award as Best Actor (Ethan Hawke)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2018

Montclair Film Festival 2018

  • Award in the Narrative Feature Competition

New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2018

National Board of Review Awards 2018

National Society of Film Critics Awards 2019

  • Award as Best Actor (Ethan Hawke)

Online Film Critics Society Awards 2019

Academy Awards 2019

Satellite Awards 2018

  • Nomination for Best Independent Film
  • Nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Paul Schrader)
  • Nomination for Best Film Actor (Ethan Hawke)

Web links

Commons : First Reformed  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for First Reformed . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 183161 / V). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. a b c Nicolas Cage: Paul Schrader tells Nicolas Cage why First Reformed is his masterpiece. In: interviewmagazine.com, April 6, 2018.
  3. a b c d e f Paul Schrader in conversation with Gabriel Brönnimann: The father of “Taxi Driver” shows his masterpiece in Basel. In: TagesWoche, June 1, 2018.
  4. ^ The Religious Affiliation of Screenwriter Paul Schrader. In: adherents.com. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  5. a b The cinema brought about a liberation from religion: Paul Schrader. In: hpd.de. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  6. a b c Ariston Anderson: Five Questions for 'First Reformed' Director Paul Schrader In: filmmakermagazine.com, October 6, 2017.
  7. Steven D. Greydanus: SDG Reviews 'First Reformed'. In: National Catholic Register, June 1, 2018.
  8. ^ Richard Brody: The Reckless Passions of Paul Schrader's "First Reformed". In: The New Yorker, August 30, 2017.
  9. Alissa Wilkinson: Paul Schrader on First Reformed: “This is a troubling film about a troubled person”. In: vox.com, June 18, 2018.
  10. Jeremy Kay: Paul Schrader talks Toronto title 'First Reformed', 50 years in the making. In: screendaily.com, September 7, 2017.
  11. ^ A b Brigitte Häring: New film by Paul Schrader: Desperate priest is shipwrecked. In: SRF, September 1, 2017.
  12. http://filmmusicreporter.com/2019/01/21/first-reformed-soundtrack-released/
  13. Toronto International Film Festival 2017. Official Film Schedule In: tiff.net. Accessed February 3, 2018 (PDF; 852 KB)
  14. http://collider.com/first-reformed-trailer-ethan-hawke/
  15. Dave McNary: SXSW Film Festival Lineup Unveiled, John Krasinski's 'A Quiet Place' Set as Opener In: Variety, January 31, 2018.
  16. Ben Dalton: Sundance London adds 'First Reformed' with Ethan Hawke to 2018 program. In: screendaily.com, April 27, 2018.
  17. https://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/kultur/drehbuchautor-und-regisseur-paul-schrader-der-mann-fuer-kaputte-kinohelden-132633799
  18. Archived copy ( memento of the original dated June 12, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.srf.ch
  19. ^ First Reformed. In: filmfest-muenchen.de. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  20. ^ First Reformed. In: miff.com.au. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  21. ^ First Reformed. In: locarnofestival.ch. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  22. ^ First Reformed. In: viennale.at. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  23. https://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/filmfestival-unknown-pleasures-gottes-vergessene-kinder/23814774.html
  24. Sabine Tobias: New on Amazon Prime Video in July 2019: All series and films. In: netzwelt.de, July 6, 2019.
  25. ^ First Reformed In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 24, 2018. Note: The Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes shows what percentage of the registered critics gave the film a positive rating.
  26. http://www.rogerebert.com/festivals-and-awards/tiff-2017-the-shape-of-water-first-reformed-darkest-hour
  27. https://www.avclub.com/gary-oldman-plays-winston-churchill-and-a-revitalized-1815117913
  28. ^ Owen Gleiberman: Film Review: 'First Reformed'. In: Variety, August 30, 2017.
  29. https://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/kultur/drehbuchautor-und-regisseur-paul-schrader-der-mann-fuer-kaputte-kinohelden-132633799
  30. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/review/2018/05/31/have-faith-in-first-reformed-paul-schraders-best-film-in-two-decades.html
  31. 'Black Panther', 'A Star Is Born' Among AFI Awards Honorees. In: The New York Times, December 4, 2018.
  32. Pete Hammond: Critics Choice Awards: 'The Favorite' 14 Nominations; 'Black Panther' A Marvel; 'First Man' rebounds; 'The Americans' Leads TV Series. In: deadline.com, December 10, 2018.
  33. Ramin Setoodeh: Ethan Hawke's 'First Reformed' Leads Gotham Awards Nominations. In: Variety, October 18, 2018.
  34. Elizabeth Wagmeister: Gotham Awards: A24 Sweeps With Five Wins, Including 'First Reformed', 'Eighth Grade'. In. Variety, November 26, 2018.
  35. Independent Spirit Awards: 'Eighth Grade,' 'First Reformed' Among Best Feature Nominees. In: The Hollywood Reporter, November 16, 2018.
  36. ^ Andrew Pulver: Roma and The Favorite triumph at the London Film Critics' Circle awards. In: The Guardian, January 21, 2019.
  37. ^ Dade Hayes: At Montclair Film Festival, New Jersey Governor Says State Is “Ready For Our Close-Up”. In: deadline.com, May 6, 2018.
  38. Zack Sharf: National Board of Review 2018 Winners: 'Green Book' Named Best Film, Lady Gaga Best Actress. In: indiewire.com, November 27, 2018.
  39. ^ National Society of Film Critics Names 'The Rider' Best Picture. In: Variety, January 5, 2019.
  40. 2018 Awards. In: ofcs.org, December 26, 2018.
  41. ^ Karen M. Peterson: International Press Academy Announces Nominees for 23rd Annual Satellite Awards. In. 29th November 2018.