Tanya’s Score: Good-and-a-half*
Rated: 14A
Starring: Mr. Hawke, Ms. Seyfried, Mr. Entertainer
Plot: A tormented minister (Ethan Hawke) becomes involved in another family’s tragedy within his small congregation.
Tanya’s Verdict: This movie is bleak. In hindsight, probably not the ideal way to ring in my Mother’s Day. But bleak isn’t always bad. In the case of First Reformed, bleak is pretty darned good. This seemingly small storyline with few characters twists and turns in unexpected and dark ways.
At one point in the movie, Hawke’s character explains to a troubled young man that the world needs despair in order to feel hope – that one begets the other. First Reformed will put this particular message to the test with all the dismal despair it bestows upon its audience.
Is there hope in the end? I’m still unsure – but cautiously hopeful.
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great