Paul Schrader has certainly entered an interesting phase of his career, making movies that are decidedly his own, and absolutely independent, even if the critical reception hasn’t followed. Critical reception generally hasn’t been kind for films like “The Canyons,” “Dying Of The Light” (which admittedly, producers mucked up) and the most recent “Dog Eat Dog” (which premiered at Cannes and is now screening at TIFF), but Schrader probably couldn’t care less. And he’s moving on with this next effort, one that sees him tackling one of his favorite themes — faith — head on.
Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried have signed up to star in the writer/director’s “First Reformed.” The story will follow ex-military chaplain Toller who is tortured by the loss of a son he encouraged to enlist in the armed forces. As Toller struggles with his faith, he is further challenged after befriending a young parishioner, Mary, and her radical environmentalist husband Michael. He soon discovers hidden secrets of his church’s complicity with unscrupulous corporations.
When Michael unexpectedly commits suicide, Toller embarks on a mission to destroy a gathering of the corporate heads at his church’s historic re-consecration ceremony. As he comforts the grieving Mary, Toller remains dedicated to his perilous self-assigned undertaking with the hope that he may finally restore the faith and purpose he’s been longing for in his mission to right the wrongs done to so many.
Pre-production is now underway on the movie, and my only hope (besides the film being good) is that Schrader gets a halfway decent budget, as it seems his last few efforts have been made on a shoestring. He’s certainly got some strong lead actors to work with, and it’ll be one to keep an eye out for next year.
