First Reformed (2017)

A priest of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer:

Paul Schrader

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer

4 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ethan Hawke	...	Toller
Amanda Seyfried	...	Mary
Cedric the Entertainer	...	Jeffers (as Cedric Antonio Kyles)
Victoria Hill	...	Esther
Philip Ettinger	...	Michael
Michael Gaston	...	Balq
Bill Hoag	...	Elder
Kristin Villanueva	...	Nurse
Ingrid Kullberg-Bendz	...	Middle-Aged Tourist
Ken Forman	...	Middle-Aged Man (as Ken Foreman)
Christopher Dylan White	...	College Student
Frank Rodriguez	...	Sheriff
Gary Lee Mahmoud	...	Doctor
Joseph Anthony Jerez	...	War Vet in Wheelchair (as Joseph Jerez)
Sue Jean Kim	...	Suriya

Storyline

Forty-six year old Reverend Ernst Toller is the pastor at the historic First Reformed Church in upstate New York. It is seen as the "tourist" church or the "souvenir shop" (its historical significance partly it being a stop on the underground railroad before the slaves crossed into Canada) by Abundant Life, which owns the church and which operates a modern self-named five thousand seat church overseen by Reverend Joel Jeffers. First Reformed is celebrating its two hundred fiftieth anniversary this year, for which a major event is planned, modest in size only at First Reformed itself although the dignitaries like the governor and mayor will be at attendance there, while the event will be simulcast at Abundant Life. Most of the speech-making will be done by local industrialist Ed Balq, a major benefactor of Abundant Life and who is the major donor for the necessary upgrades at First Reformed to be able to hold the event there, and for the event itself, while Toller's participation will ...

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Plot Keywords:

reference to god | suicide | priest as protagonist | environmentalism | religion | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some disturbing violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Twitter

Country:

USA UK Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 May 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

First Reformed

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$97,562, 20 May 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,448,256, 2 August 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Killer Films,Fibonacci Films,Arclight Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's name was inspired by the director's own religious background in what is known as Calvinism, the second expression of Protestant Christianity to spring out of the Protestant Reformation. The first being Lutheranism. John Calvin and his followers believed that Martin Luther had not taken his reformation far enough and sought to install doctrines that further distances themselves from Roman Catholicism.

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Goofs

In each of the cafe scenes at the mega church, the coffee cups still have the manufacturer stickers on the bottoms.

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Quotes

Reverend Ernst Toller: Well somebody's got to do something!

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Connections

Featured in Conan: Cedric the Entertainer/Julian Dennison/Tuxedo & Zapp (2018)

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Soundtracks

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Written by Elisha A. Hoffman
Music by Anthony J. Showalter (as Anthony Johnson Showalter)
Performed by Julia Murney
Arrangement by "We Are Dark Angels"
Nicci Kasper - Nics and Dimes ASCAP
Deantonic Parks - Sexy South Music ASCAP

User Reviews

What Were They Thinking?

What an annoying and infuriatingly bad film. A new low bar. People in the theater laughed and groaned at the end. What a waste of talent. Heavy handed and clumsy writing. I don't understand how this train wreck of a film is being seen as anything more than the mess that it is.