“First Reformed” stars Ethan Hawke as a pastor of the First Reformed church, whose life begins to take an unexpected turn after a meeting with an unstable environmental activist. In the beginning stages of “First Reformed”, writer and director Paul Schrader establishes a contemplative and meditative tone. Ethan Hawke’s raspy voice soothes and challenges you on an intellectual level with each line. You may find it hard to embrace Reverend Toller (Hawke) early and often due to his cold demeanor, but the script unfolds information with precise calculation and the Reverend soon becomes more understood. The first scene with Mary’s husband, Michael, is the first step taken in how Schrader chooses to challenge his viewers throughout the entirety of “First Reformed”. It was an unexpected surprise to see how Schrader directed this film on a path that deconstructed those who hold their beliefs so close to their chest. Many of the film’s dialogue contains aggressive, profound, or passionate words that asks other characters to think harder and feel louder. To find a phantom strand of compassion to make our bond as a human race more tangible and concrete. To look at the other side of the equation so we can think about our lives on a larger scale beyond our own selfish motivation to preach. This strikes a chord as well as it does because many American made films today lack the drive to sit down the viewer and ramble off a questionnaire that asks us to think about who we are and what we believe. This is what gives “First Reformed” so much haunting life beyond its tragic frames. Shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio, this could make or break a viewing experience, but Schrader chooses to ice each shot with crushing blacks and angelic white pastels that serenades the viewer. There’s an underlying feeling of loss, dread, and self-inflicted pain running its course at a constant rate and it can prove heavy for many audience members. Thankfully, our attention is constantly drawn to the focal point in many frames, our attention is diverted towards actors that fill up frames that constantly convey the feeling of “being alone” or “trapped within the confines of only our thoughts”. The framing and vision of Schrader is a marvel to behold and he utilizes every second of it to prick away at the viewer. As the film winds down, “First Reformed” will surprise many and it will garner a divisive response, but recollecting on events leading up to that point is what is most important. Toller’s journey is a character study that takes deep cuts into personal issues and societal issues as a whole. Walking away from “First Reformed” you’ll feel as if you’ve learned and engaged in worthwhile dialogue with yourself, peers, and the film. There’s a lot to come away with on a visual level and there aren’t many American films or film-makers that accomplish what Schrader has with “First Reformed”. There’s a lot that film-makers can learn from Schrader and I hope “First Reformed” ends up inspiring future talents to create films as good as this for the rest of time. “First Reformed” gets a 94/100