First Reformed

Anybody else seen this movie?

I thought it captured the dilemna of mainline Protestantism in the contemporary US, perfectly. I especially appreciated how it probed the impotence of the mainline Church in its mission, in the face of institutional conservativism. The two impulses, towards the radical call to justice and towards the consolations of established religion, directly come to a head against each other in the film in a way that literally scourges the protagonist.

Ethan Hawke's performance as a mainline Protestant pastor struggling with grief and alcoholism was realistic and sympathetic.

BTW, I watched this soon before rewatching The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman. Both films are similar because they are indie films created by "almuni of the Church", to use Bishop John Shelby Spong's apt phrase, struggling with contemporary existential issues in light of their childhood faith, yet through a critical lens that embraces a mature ambivalence about the role of religious faith in the modern world.

Both are great art.