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First Reformed
Called “an ecstatic, arc-bright wonder and terror” by The New Yorker, this major work of art now receives a first printing, featuring a brilliant introductory essay by Masha Tupitsyn.
Called “an ecstatic, arc-bright wonder and terror” by The New Yorker , this major work of art now receives a first printing, featuring a brilliant introductory essay by Masha Tupitsyn.
This Academy Award-nominated screenplay is one of the greatest and most urgent in Paul Schrader’s long and decorated career. Called a “portrait of a soul in torment, all the more powerful for being so rigorously conceived and meticulously executed” in the New York Times , First Reformed follows the Rev. Ernst Toller as his crisis of faith coincides with a recognition of looming environmental catastrophe. It is an uncompromising work that seamlessly synthesizes a tribute to Bresson with a profound, existential meditation on the everexpanding devastation that humanity is spreading over the natural world. The crowning late period achievement for an undisputed legend of screenwriting, this is both a master class in concision, depth and emotional range, and a continually relevant work of activist import.
Called “an ecstatic, arc-bright wonder and terror” by The New Yorker , this major work of art now receives a first printing, featuring a brilliant introductory essay by Masha Tupitsyn.
This Academy Award-nominated screenplay is one of the greatest and most urgent in Paul Schrader’s long and decorated career. Called a “portrait of a soul in torment, all the more powerful for being so rigorously conceived and meticulously executed” in the New York Times , First Reformed follows the Rev. Ernst Toller as his crisis of faith coincides with a recognition of looming environmental catastrophe. It is an uncompromising work that seamlessly synthesizes a tribute to Bresson with a profound, existential meditation on the everexpanding devastation that humanity is spreading over the natural world. The crowning late period achievement for an undisputed legend of screenwriting, this is both a master class in concision, depth and emotional range, and a continually relevant work of activist import.
- GenresFilm
144 pages, Paperback
Published January 31, 2023
1 person is currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Paul Schrader
39 books124 followersAlthough his name is often linked to that of the 'movie brat' generation (Spielberg, Scorsese, Coppola, Lucas, De Palma, etc.) Paul Schrader's background couldn't have been more different. Schrader's strict Calvinist parents refused to allow him to see a film until he was eighteen. Although he more than made up for lost time when studying at Calvin College, Columbia University and UCLA's graduate film program, his influences were far removed from those of his contemporaries - Bresson, Ozu and Dreyer (about whom he wrote a book, Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu Bresson Dreyer Da Capo Paperback) rather than Saturday morning serials. After a period as a film critic (and protégé of Pauline Kael), he began writing screenplays, hitting the jackpot when he and his brother, Leonard Schrader (a Japanese expert), were paid the then-record sum of $325,000, for The Yakuza, thus establishing his reputation as one of Hollywood's top screenwriters - which was consolidated when Martin Scorsese filmed Schrader's script [Book:Taxi Driver] (1976), written in the early 1970s during a bout of drinking and depression. The success of the film allowed Schrader to start directing his own films, which have been notable for their willingness to take stylistic and thematic risks while still working squarely within the Hollywood system. The most original of his films (which he and many others regard as his best) was the Japanese co-production Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985).
Biography Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001707/bio
Biography Source: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001707/bio
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 14, 2019
As every year, I'm going to read all the Oscar nominated screenplays in both the adapted and original categories. This year, I figured I'd begin with my pick for favorite screenplay in the original category - Paul Schrader's First Reformed. Reading First Reformed instead of watching First Reformed, I think it takes away some of the prestige that the film inherently has due to it being from the writer of Taxi Driver. Reading the screenplay, it feels more along the lines of a Bergman or Bresson film, instead of Christian Travis Bickle.
That being said, I think the screenplay loses a lot of the emotionality that comes through in these lines. Occasionally, the screenplay will just sort of fall flat without Ethan Hawke's delivery. It's still a tight, well-crafted screenplay, but it still loses an incremental part of what made the movie work. I also find that the ending of the screenplay feels even more blunt and surprising than it does in the film, and doesn't have quite the impact that I felt from the film.
But despite these slight criticisms, First Reformed is still easily one of the best screenplays of last years, and shows how fantastic Schrader is at crafting dark, emotionally distracted characters who want to change the world for good, regardless of how they get to that point.
That being said, I think the screenplay loses a lot of the emotionality that comes through in these lines. Occasionally, the screenplay will just sort of fall flat without Ethan Hawke's delivery. It's still a tight, well-crafted screenplay, but it still loses an incremental part of what made the movie work. I also find that the ending of the screenplay feels even more blunt and surprising than it does in the film, and doesn't have quite the impact that I felt from the film.
But despite these slight criticisms, First Reformed is still easily one of the best screenplays of last years, and shows how fantastic Schrader is at crafting dark, emotionally distracted characters who want to change the world for good, regardless of how they get to that point.
August 11, 2024
You do not live in the real world
July 9, 2024
One of the best screenplays I've read. Found this beautiful paperback copy earlier this year and had to buy it. Reading scripts for work can sometimes test my patience for it - it's brilliant to read something which reminds you why you fell in love with it in the first place. Highly recommend watching the finished product if you haven't already.
November 19, 2023
This was my first ever reading of a movie screenplay from beginning to end and it was a very interesting but different experience to a novel. It requires the reader to inject a lot more of their own imagination into the visual aspects and into the emotional experience.
For me, with this screenplay (which also benefits from an informative introductory essay by Masha Tupitsyn), it contributed to a very engaging and enjoyable afternoon’s reading. The main character arc was fairly straightforward but you could feel his pain and anguish and sense of loss. Paul Schrader’s writing is very concise but still gives you more than enough to work with.
The only aspects that I found a little off were (a) his description of the teens - I couldn’t see why he focused on their sexual energy when describing them, either from a plot or character perspective and (b) the final scenes where I couldn’t reconcile the reverend’s actions with his character.
It will be interesting to watch the movie to see how those two aspects are portrayed.
For me, with this screenplay (which also benefits from an informative introductory essay by Masha Tupitsyn), it contributed to a very engaging and enjoyable afternoon’s reading. The main character arc was fairly straightforward but you could feel his pain and anguish and sense of loss. Paul Schrader’s writing is very concise but still gives you more than enough to work with.
The only aspects that I found a little off were (a) his description of the teens - I couldn’t see why he focused on their sexual energy when describing them, either from a plot or character perspective and (b) the final scenes where I couldn’t reconcile the reverend’s actions with his character.
It will be interesting to watch the movie to see how those two aspects are portrayed.
November 4, 2023
4.5
The perfect mix of philosophy, politics and religion for me. I feel as though they’re are so many layers to peel back with this. An ambiguous ending always earns extra points from me too.
The perfect mix of philosophy, politics and religion for me. I feel as though they’re are so many layers to peel back with this. An ambiguous ending always earns extra points from me too.
January 7, 2026
Found a paperback version of the screenplay in Paper Nautilus in Wayland Square (thanks for the introduction Mr. Yelnosky), with a well-written introduction by Masha Tupitsyn that speaks specifically to First Reformed but also to Schrader's whole filmography.
Having watched the film about a year and a half ago, seeing it in text was informative in a stylistic sense—this year I'm hoping to read many screenplays to aid in my own writing. I think I find myself most struck by Schrader’s religious works; this and Hardcore stand out to me, perhaps not his most stylistic works but as narrative reflections of his theological and philosophical beliefs.
What struck me most is noticing the difference between how the titular “Will God forgive us?” is posed throughout the story. When Michael first asks it of Toller in their conversation, he says, “Can God forgive us?” Later, in his confrontation with Balq, Toller asks him, “Will God forgive us?”. Schrader’s distinction and its significance I will ponder for the next couple of days, I’m sure.
Having watched the film about a year and a half ago, seeing it in text was informative in a stylistic sense—this year I'm hoping to read many screenplays to aid in my own writing. I think I find myself most struck by Schrader’s religious works; this and Hardcore stand out to me, perhaps not his most stylistic works but as narrative reflections of his theological and philosophical beliefs.
What struck me most is noticing the difference between how the titular “Will God forgive us?” is posed throughout the story. When Michael first asks it of Toller in their conversation, he says, “Can God forgive us?” Later, in his confrontation with Balq, Toller asks him, “Will God forgive us?”. Schrader’s distinction and its significance I will ponder for the next couple of days, I’m sure.
August 4, 2024
a masterpiece.
“Courage is the solution to despair. Reason offers no answers. We cannot be certain what the future holds. We must choose despite uncertainty. They say wisdom is the ability to hold two contradictory thoughts in your mind simultaneously. Hope and despair. A life without despair is a life without hope. They are connected. Holding those ideas in your head together is life itself.”
“Courage is the solution to despair. Reason offers no answers. We cannot be certain what the future holds. We must choose despite uncertainty. They say wisdom is the ability to hold two contradictory thoughts in your mind simultaneously. Hope and despair. A life without despair is a life without hope. They are connected. Holding those ideas in your head together is life itself.”
December 10, 2025
First Reformed, written and directed by Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader has been an amazing writer, with masterpieces like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Affliction and others highlighting his career, but First Reformed, in spite of an impressive Metascore ( an average score of reviews) of 85 and a rating from audiences of 7,5, still seems like a bizarre, unrewarding contraption for the under signed.
Having said that, it must be underlined that there are many aspects of the film that are noteworthy, such as the alarm bell on the issue of Climate Change – which is creating so many catastrophes right now, with ever more wild and provoked fires and extreme weather killing multitudes throughout the world.
Alas, if we compare this film with Sous Le Soleil de Satan, Diary of a Country Priest and other films that are similar, the French chef d’oeuvres make First Reformed pale in comparison.
Ethan Hawke has had some brilliant performances in his remarkable career – Before Sunset and Before Sunrise come to mind, also Dead Poets Society –only his take on the role of Reverend Ernst Toller is not satisfying – though it is very likely that this viewer is wrong, given the majority of the public and critics that have appreciated this feature.
Even less rewarding is the presence of Amanda Seyfried as Mary, the woman who asks for the help of the clergyman, would get it, notwithstanding the strange intermediary impact of the presence of the man of the church.
Mary is pregnant and wants the reverend to help convince her partner that she should not have an abortion, as he wants, for she thinks that would be murdering the baby, a view that most churches share, in fact encourage and proselytize on.
When the hero meets with Roger, the discussion is more than disturbing, for the young man is not just an activist, but very determined in his quest to stop major corporations, greedy, vicious, loathsome leaders who help destruct the planet, the future of the children.
The young man talks about the effects that Global Warming already have on the planet, the disappearing of the lands near the sea, with the rising levels of the oceans, the migrations that would result, the conflicts, devastated crops and other calamities that are alas happening today.
He has a lot of material on the subject that he is not just keenly aware of, but he is obsessed with, convinced that he and others must act to bring about the major change in mentality, political, economic decisions that keep destroying the earth and the future.
Roger makes a point when he asks about the child, maybe the daughter he might have and her questioning her father, later on, about the state of the world, about which he had known and still decided to bring her into this hell on earth and he feels this is not something he could do.
The Reverend Ernst Toller is evidently impressed – we can see that from his actions, for Ethan Hawke appears somewhat or very wooden, rigid in his unconvincing acting – and would later search the internet, find information about the pollution, destruction, even the First Reformed Church and its affiliations.
He is a pastor in a church that is celebrating two hundred and fifty years of existence, a spot where the slaves stopped on their journey to Canada, when they used The Underground Railway – a superb novel with this title has won the Pulitzer Prize.
Abundant Life is actually the owner of the historical religious place, but the former seems to represent some of what is wrong with modern “spiritual or religious” endeavors, with its insistence on material affluence – the Abundant in the title – to the detriment of other concerns.
There is a clash with Reverend Joel Jeffers aka Cedric the Entertainer and especially the industrialist Ed Balq, who seems to represent the Evil Forces that are about to destroy our planet, concerned as they are only with extracting what there is for profit and elusory gains.
Roger is supposed to meet with the Reverend Ernst Toller, but when the protagonists arrives at the scene, the young man is dead, furthermore, a suicide vest is found in the garage by Mary, who talks with the pastor about it and they both come to the conclusion that they dispose of it and the authorities are better left unaware of the explosive plans
The last rites for the deceased are performed near a waste site, with activist singing and a ceremony that reaches Ed Balq, who is very angered by the presence of the Reverend at this ceremony and takes it as an unacceptable political stand, which is more than inappropriate- it is outright unacceptable.
Reverend Joel Jeffers is of the same opinion, concerned with the festivities celebrating the two hundred and fifty years of history, he wants no politics involved in this, even if the lower ranking clergy insists that this is not politics and that God would surely feel strongly about what happens to His creation- the destruction, spoiling of the earth, oceans…
How do you know? This is the challenge from the angry Evil Man Ed Balq, who questions if Ernst Toller talks with God.
The fact that the pastor is seriously ill, his stomach is in excruciating pain, he urinates blood, makes one think again of the Diary of a Country Priest, and the use of barbed wire on the body recalls Sous le Soleil de Satan.
Paul Schrader has been an amazing writer, with masterpieces like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Affliction and others highlighting his career, but First Reformed, in spite of an impressive Metascore ( an average score of reviews) of 85 and a rating from audiences of 7,5, still seems like a bizarre, unrewarding contraption for the under signed.
Having said that, it must be underlined that there are many aspects of the film that are noteworthy, such as the alarm bell on the issue of Climate Change – which is creating so many catastrophes right now, with ever more wild and provoked fires and extreme weather killing multitudes throughout the world.
Alas, if we compare this film with Sous Le Soleil de Satan, Diary of a Country Priest and other films that are similar, the French chef d’oeuvres make First Reformed pale in comparison.
Ethan Hawke has had some brilliant performances in his remarkable career – Before Sunset and Before Sunrise come to mind, also Dead Poets Society –only his take on the role of Reverend Ernst Toller is not satisfying – though it is very likely that this viewer is wrong, given the majority of the public and critics that have appreciated this feature.
Even less rewarding is the presence of Amanda Seyfried as Mary, the woman who asks for the help of the clergyman, would get it, notwithstanding the strange intermediary impact of the presence of the man of the church.
Mary is pregnant and wants the reverend to help convince her partner that she should not have an abortion, as he wants, for she thinks that would be murdering the baby, a view that most churches share, in fact encourage and proselytize on.
When the hero meets with Roger, the discussion is more than disturbing, for the young man is not just an activist, but very determined in his quest to stop major corporations, greedy, vicious, loathsome leaders who help destruct the planet, the future of the children.
The young man talks about the effects that Global Warming already have on the planet, the disappearing of the lands near the sea, with the rising levels of the oceans, the migrations that would result, the conflicts, devastated crops and other calamities that are alas happening today.
He has a lot of material on the subject that he is not just keenly aware of, but he is obsessed with, convinced that he and others must act to bring about the major change in mentality, political, economic decisions that keep destroying the earth and the future.
Roger makes a point when he asks about the child, maybe the daughter he might have and her questioning her father, later on, about the state of the world, about which he had known and still decided to bring her into this hell on earth and he feels this is not something he could do.
The Reverend Ernst Toller is evidently impressed – we can see that from his actions, for Ethan Hawke appears somewhat or very wooden, rigid in his unconvincing acting – and would later search the internet, find information about the pollution, destruction, even the First Reformed Church and its affiliations.
He is a pastor in a church that is celebrating two hundred and fifty years of existence, a spot where the slaves stopped on their journey to Canada, when they used The Underground Railway – a superb novel with this title has won the Pulitzer Prize.
Abundant Life is actually the owner of the historical religious place, but the former seems to represent some of what is wrong with modern “spiritual or religious” endeavors, with its insistence on material affluence – the Abundant in the title – to the detriment of other concerns.
There is a clash with Reverend Joel Jeffers aka Cedric the Entertainer and especially the industrialist Ed Balq, who seems to represent the Evil Forces that are about to destroy our planet, concerned as they are only with extracting what there is for profit and elusory gains.
Roger is supposed to meet with the Reverend Ernst Toller, but when the protagonists arrives at the scene, the young man is dead, furthermore, a suicide vest is found in the garage by Mary, who talks with the pastor about it and they both come to the conclusion that they dispose of it and the authorities are better left unaware of the explosive plans
The last rites for the deceased are performed near a waste site, with activist singing and a ceremony that reaches Ed Balq, who is very angered by the presence of the Reverend at this ceremony and takes it as an unacceptable political stand, which is more than inappropriate- it is outright unacceptable.
Reverend Joel Jeffers is of the same opinion, concerned with the festivities celebrating the two hundred and fifty years of history, he wants no politics involved in this, even if the lower ranking clergy insists that this is not politics and that God would surely feel strongly about what happens to His creation- the destruction, spoiling of the earth, oceans…
How do you know? This is the challenge from the angry Evil Man Ed Balq, who questions if Ernst Toller talks with God.
The fact that the pastor is seriously ill, his stomach is in excruciating pain, he urinates blood, makes one think again of the Diary of a Country Priest, and the use of barbed wire on the body recalls Sous le Soleil de Satan.
March 21, 2020
It may not capture the raw power of the finished film (screenplays are really just blueprints), but this script is particularly readable and shows the difficult themes and ideas that make First Reformed such an excellent film.
October 8, 2025
So devastating, god I wanted to cry and pray. Making a believer out of me. Technically related but fire whoever was supposed to fix alignment, typos, etc., this is a fucking mess. Oh wait they self imploded rip
September 21, 2021
I despise you
I despite what you bring out in me
Your concerns are petty
You are a stumbling block
(72:00)
I despite what you bring out in me
Your concerns are petty
You are a stumbling block
(72:00)
December 18, 2022
Another masterpiece from Schrader.
January 20, 2025
A spirit moves. It needn’t be articulated.
April 21, 2025
wowowowowow
June 17, 2025
Very strong 4.5, closing in on 5/5 if I had more to chew on dialogue.
February 5, 2019
Such an incredible script - bitter, moving, spiritually arresting. This is such an amazing work.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews