Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

First Reformed 

This film left me stunned! First Reformed is a stunning piece of work that is woven together from multitalented visionary Paul Schrader Who is known for his explosive writing the two stands outs being Raging Bull and Taxi Driver both incredible masterful pieces of work. But here he not only brings his dominating writing to the table but also directs the film as well and dose an amazing job at it. Lead by a captivating lead performance from Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke who gives one of his strongest performances to date. 

First off, this film is not for everyone the subject matter in this film is very heavy handed topics which  Paul tackles head on and dose it in a way that is unlike anything I’ve seen for a while. He brings such topics as suicide, religion and grieving to the front for the discussions that’s being had throughout the film and he shows all three of those with a true and  raw honesty that I admire. 

Secondly, This film is unlike Anything I’ve seen all year it is shocking, well acted and a experience that is to be had from a truly great writer and director that very rarely comes into the spotlight to showcase new work so when he dose you have to see it. 

He has a great solid cast that gives tremendous performances but it’s Ethan who truly shines in this film giving an outstanding performance that is truly incredible to witness onscreen. The film just has this feel to it that is very raw and honest and I admire that it felt so rooted in reality and it’s the plot and the characters around them that draw you into this environment that Paul has crafted so perfectly. 

Lastly, this film is a true gem that is one of the best written, best acted, and best directed films of the year. Paul pulls you into a story that will give you an experience you won’t forget and that will stay with you First Reformed is another knockout for Paul and for Ethan I highly recommend this film it’s a absolute masterful piece of film. 

Rated R : for some disturbing violent images 

When a parish pastor is put upon a task to watch over this man that tragedies strikes upon he must confront who he himself is and what is right

Ethan Hawke : Hawke delivers a career defining performance that is absolutely mesmerizing. Hawks plays a pastor who is put under tremendous stress who also is a heavy drinker which results in him spinning out of control. The way Ethan portrays this man onscreen was truly brilliant. His ability to fully immerse himself in this role was amazing to watch on-top of his powerful range of emotions. He for the most of it is really emotionally restrained and Ethan works within that so well. On the outside he’s calm but when he talks to himself while writing in his journal he’s expressing everything and I loved his approach to it and how he delivers it in the film. His ability to spring Paul’s words to life with his delivery of the dialogue was dazzling. Ethan really made the character felt lived in and really gave his all to each scene chewing up every moment of the film with his powerful performance that is being shown onscreen. Ethan gives an outstanding Oscar caliber performance that is one of the best of his career. 

Paul Schrader : Paul crafts together another modern day masterpiece! This man who’s given us great works as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull gives us another tremendous piece of work. In this film he explores the themes of isolation, suicide and religion all very heavy topics that are incredibly sensitive topics to talk about but he is able to balance all 3 and talk about them in a way that worked out greatly. His style with all of his story’s that he’s written is very rooted in reality and that’s what I love what he brings to this film. Is this sense of realism and not sugar coating the heavy moments but really letting the scene flow naturally and letting the hard topics be talked about yes it’s uncomfortable to watch but it’s very honest in its depiction and I respect him for that. His ability to craft a story is brilliant in this film he takes everyday people and wraps it with a compelling narrative layered on top of explosive dialogue for each character that resonates that person. He crafts words in a way that is so honest and compelling in a way very few screenwriters can do. He writes and directs this film beautifully getting solid performances from everyone involved including an Award worthy performance from Ethan Hawke at the same time giving the audience an experience that leaves them dazzled which he dose very effectively. He is a visionary that once again knocking it out of the park with his compelling writing and brilliant directing great work Paul.