Williamsburg Regional Library

First Reformed

eng

videorecording

First Reformed

Originally produced by A24 in 2017

113

Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary parish pastor at a small church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. The church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman finds himself plunged into his own tormented past, and equally despairing future. From writer-director Paul Schrader (*Taxi Driver, Raging Bull*) comes a gripping drama about a crisis of faith that is at once personal, political, and planetary. Nominated for an **Academy Award** for Best Original Screenplay. Nominated for four **Film Independent Spirit Awards** including Best Feature and Best Male Lead. Nominated for a Golden Lion at the **Venice Film Festival**. "*A "Taxi Driver" for the present day, with Hawke in a career-best performance.*" - Rafer Guzman, ***Newsday***

live action