Craft a thoughtful, two and a half page critique of the 2017 drama First Reformed. Unlike a film summary or review, a sufficient submission neither restates the plot verbatim nor is it comprised largely of the viewer’s personal opinion of the motion picture. Instead, a film critique is an academic essay which briefly summarizes and then critically evaluates the value and/or merit of the work in question
Offer your personal and/or critical opinion of the film (be sure to mention the film’s title, director, key actors and the year it was released).
Briefly summarize the plot of the film (Do NOT exceed two summary paragraphs)
Discuss in detail how well the film engages with both our modern age of crisis and the fear of the unknown. First Reformed is a film which centers on the idea of overlapping crisis (a concept which has come to define our current moment in history). The film shift thematically between personal philosophical crisis and the existential crisis of climate change. Additionally, First Reformed is an embittered look at the world through the eyes of a character who’s increasingly horrified to be a part of it. Lastly, I encourage you all to seek out existing film criticism of First Reformed as a way of increasing your understanding of how to read and write effective cultural criticism.
