Paul Schrader has been in the direct-to-video weeds for a few movies with mixed results (I disliked The Canyons but quite enjoyed the gonzo-noir of Dog Eat Dog). Even though critics praised First Reformed (2018) as a return to form, there was no cinema release for West Australian audiences – Schrader was still direct-to-digital; it’s available on iTunes and BluRay now to catch up with. A drama with a capital D, the film follows a priest (Ethan Hawke) – who is sickly and suffering from loss and trauma – of a small church who finds himself slowly changed by getting involved in a pregnant woman’s life (Amanda Seyfried) and her husband (Philip Ettinger) despondent over irreversible climate change. Themes that have persisted across Schrader’s career from the ‘God’s Lonely Man’ dialogue of Taxi Driver are renewed and made relevant with the film’s tone of ecological dread and slow despair. Precise framing and pacing make the film quite absorbing and powerful, particularly buoyed by Hawke’s innate charisma as the lead, codified into a tense, sinewy performance. Not for everyone, as it is not a fun time at all (and might be quite triggering for some), but I was mulling over the experience of watching it days after. Recommended.
VHS Tracking 