I was excited to see this movie because I had heard good things about it from clergy colleagues. It's rare that my clergy friends say positive things about a religious based movie, so that piqued my interest. This movie does not have wide release, but luckily we had to make a trip to Des Moines anyway, so we were able to squeeze it in.
First Reformed follows the story of Reverend Tuller, expertly played by Ethan Hawke, as he struggles with a tragic past, troubled parishioners, and serving a small historic church that has become a "souvenir shop" more than a true place of worship. I was very impressed with the way this movie portrayed the life of a pastor, and the way this character provided pastoral care. When he was counseling a very depressed parishioner, he didn't give pat answers or theological cliches. When asked a difficult question about what God would do, he was willing to answer, "I don't know". I felt it was a very realistic portrayal of how myself and most pastors I know might have handled the situation.
The following might be somewhat of a spoiler, so if you don't want to know anything about how the movie ends, skip to the end.
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As the movie continues, it takes a dark turn, as Tuller descends into his own depression and struggles with his own health issues. He takes on a political cause one of his parishioners held dear, of saving the environment. As the movie builds up to the climax of his congregation's 250th anniversary celebration his behavior becomes more frightening and erratic. And then, at what appears to be a climactic moment, the movie just...ends. Cut to black, all done, roll credits.
Some people (like Joel) like this kind of ending. It leaves the story open to your interpretation about what happened or was going to happen. I, on the other hand, prefer to experience the story as it was meant to be told. And in my opinion, stories are supposed to have endings, or at least some sort of resolution. I don't want to ponder what might have happened, I want to know what the story teller intended to happen. If it weren't for this type of ending I probably would have given the movie a higher rating.
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Overall, I think this is a movie for a very particular audience. While I think its message is one all people need to hear, most people couldn't/wouldn't appreciate the way the story is told. If you like dark movies, character studies, and realistic portrayals of church and religion, you will enjoy this one. If you don't want to be preached at by a movie, or prefer humor and light, you can skip it.