Excellent review!
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Reading a well-written review such as this is as rewarding as experiencing a finely crafted work of art. I'm so glad to have access to quality criticism in the New York Times.
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Another ravishingly written review. Thank you, Mr. Scott.
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A second source of the film seems to be Bergman's
Winter Light...whose central character's spiritual darkness/void resembles the Hawke character's disillusion much more than
the priest in Bresson's (first) masterpiece.
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I’m glad you wrote this, because the “First Reformed” is in many ways a remake of “Winter Light,” with the substitution of climate change for nuclear war, and a focus on the young widow instead of the spurned girlfriend. I’ve written about similarities on my blog, but so far other critics have not. Is it because they’re unfamiliar with Bergman’s (far superior) film?
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Not yet having seen the film I can't say whether
it is or is not "superior" (even parenthetically)--a term I try not to use in principle. However, that Winter Light is not cited is certainly a bit odd, especially from someone as knowledgeable as Scott...a sign of general disinterest in much of Bergman at present? It's not as if his concerns don't overlap with those of the zeitgeist at present.
9
Looking forward to this. I was never a big fan of this actor until I saw his brilliant performances in Maudie and as Chet Baker in Born to be Blue. Oscar-worthy. I am solidly in his corner.
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