First Reformed 2017

     Ernst Toller is the 46 year-old Reverend of the historic First Reformed Church in upstate New York.  Most people view the church as a tourist stop or a souvenir shop?  Historically it is significant because it was the last stop on the Underground Railroad before the Canadian Border.  Abundant Life owns the church and also operates a 5,000-seat mega church overseen by Reverend Joel Jeffers.  First Reformed is preparing to celebrate an anniversary of 250 years. This will be a major event with dignitaries such as the governor and mayor.

     The membership of First Reformed is dwindling and Reverend Toller is facing questions of faith and morality.  He has been writing his thoughts in a journal for a year and he intends to destroy it.  Toller encouraged his son to join the military and he was killed in the Iraq War.  Mary is seeking counseling from Toller because her radical environmentalist husband is worried about bringing a child into the world.  Toller is also suffering from physical aliments but he has put off seeing a doctor.  I found this film to continually be very dark and I didn’t enjoy anything about it???  There is bleakness in everything including the characters and the scenery for nearly two hours!!  1 ½* (I really didn’t like this movie) 

113 min, Drama directed by Paul Schrader with Than Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer, Victoria Hill, Philip Ettinger, Michael Gaston, Bill Hoag, Kristin Villanueva, Ingrid Kullberg-Bendz, Ken Forman, Christopher Dylan White, Frank Rodriguez, Gary Lee Mahmoud.

Note:  Imdb 7.3 out of 10, 93% critic 69% audience, Amazon 3.2* out of 5* with 37 reviews, 85 out of 100 with 47 critics 7.7 out of 10 with 67 reviews, Film Crave 3.25* out of 4*, Roger Ebert 4*, Rollingstone 3.5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in New York City and Brooklyn, New York.  Filming for the interior and exterior of the church was done at the Zion Episcopal Church in Douglaston, Queens.  This film was shot in just 20 days on a $3.5 million budget.  Amanda Seyfried was pregnant during filming and her character is also pregnant.  Hawke was 47 at the time of filming but his haircut makes him look older?