Synopsis
First Reformed is a film about spiritual life starring Ethan Hawke as the minister of a small, historical and empty church. An ex-military chaplain, Toller is tortured by the loss of a son he encouraged to enlist in the armed forces. As Toller struggles with his faith, he is further challenged after a young couple, Mary and her radical environmentalist husband Michael, come to him for counselling. Consumed by thoughts that the world is being destroyed by big business and discovering the church’s complicity with unscrupulous corporations, Toller embarks on a perilous self- assigned undertaking with the hope that he may finally restore the faith and purpose he’s been longing for in his mission to right the wrongs done to so many.
Filmmaker
Paul Schrader
He is one of the most important North-American filmmakers of his generation. He wrote the scripts for emblematic films such as Taxi Driver or Raging Bull by Scorsese, Yakuza by Sydney Pollack or Obsession by Brian de Palma. After making his directorial debut with Blue Collar, he signed works like American Gigolo or Affliction. He has recently experienced a creative renaissance that has led him to be nominated for the Oscars and to be part of the Official Section of the Venice Film Festival with his last three films.
Filmography: Master Gardener (2022, D’A 2023), The Card Counter (2021), Dark (2017), First Reformed (2017, D'A 2028), Dog Eat Dog (2016), The Dying of the Light (2014), The Canyons (2013), Adam Resurrected (2008), The Walker (2007), Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005), Auto Focus (2002), Forever Mine (1999), Afliction (1997), Touch (1997), Light Sleeper (1992), The Comfort of Strangers (1990), Patty Hearst (1988), Light of Day (1987), Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Cat People (1982), American Gigolo (1980), Hardcore (1979), Blue Collar (1978)
