Has anyone heard of the movie 1st Reformed on Amazon Prime?
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Jack K
Puritan Board Doctor
I have watched it. It is a thoughtful reflection on suffering, evil, environmentalism, religious hypocrisy, and God—supposedly from a Reformed perspective, or at least from the perspective of a struggling Reformed pastor. But it isn't really Reformed. It raises some good questions and begins to propose some marginal answers in some places, but this movie is not made by a believer and it shows. That can be infuriating if you are a believer.
Writer-director Paul Schrader famously grew up Reformed but recanted the faith as a young man. He has gone on to make films that are entirely ungodly and, in many cases, intentionally push the limits in being profane and/or pornographic. Sometimes he brings elements from his Reformed past into his films, but we should not let this cause us to think those films are Christian.
That said, Schrader is a brilliant and thoughtful filmmaker in many respects, and he probably understands Reformed Christianity better than most secular filmmakers do. In the case of First Reformed, he has made a film that is far less objectionable than many of his other works. First Reformed is a thoughtful discussion starter even if it is, frustratingly, never a accurate portrayal of what it means to have true faith in God.
The R rating is for some rather gruesome violence, and the whole tone of the film is dark. But the movie is refreshingly free of sex or nudity, and has little objectionable language. I noticed a few mentions of Jesus that might be considered vain swearing or might be considered serious religious statements, depending on how you read them. The more weighty assault on God's name is the presence of a main character who supposedly preaches Christ but doesn't really know the gospel.
Writer-director Paul Schrader famously grew up Reformed but recanted the faith as a young man. He has gone on to make films that are entirely ungodly and, in many cases, intentionally push the limits in being profane and/or pornographic. Sometimes he brings elements from his Reformed past into his films, but we should not let this cause us to think those films are Christian.
That said, Schrader is a brilliant and thoughtful filmmaker in many respects, and he probably understands Reformed Christianity better than most secular filmmakers do. In the case of First Reformed, he has made a film that is far less objectionable than many of his other works. First Reformed is a thoughtful discussion starter even if it is, frustratingly, never a accurate portrayal of what it means to have true faith in God.
The R rating is for some rather gruesome violence, and the whole tone of the film is dark. But the movie is refreshingly free of sex or nudity, and has little objectionable language. I noticed a few mentions of Jesus that might be considered vain swearing or might be considered serious religious statements, depending on how you read them. The more weighty assault on God's name is the presence of a main character who supposedly preaches Christ but doesn't really know the gospel.
Ask Mr. Religion
Flatly Unflappable
See:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-bad-religion-of-Paul-schraders-first-reformed/
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-bad-religion-of-Paul-schraders-first-reformed/
Scott Bushey
Puritanboard Commissioner
I saw it out of mere curiosity. The title would seem to point to the church EH pastored, '1st reformed Church'. It was, at best silly. Thats 120 min's I'll never get back...and the ending was bizarre.
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