First Reformed // Bleak Week

dir. Paul Schrader // 2017 // 1 hr 53 min

Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke) is a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, the church is now a tourist attraction catering to a dwindling congregation, eclipsed by its nearby parent church, Abundant Life, with its state-of-the-art facilities and 5,000-strong flock. When a pregnant parishioner (Amanda Seyfried) asks Reverend Toller to counsel her husband, a radical environmentalist, the clergyman finds himself plunged into his own tormented past, and equally despairing future, until he finds redemption in an act of grandiose violence.

About Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair

Presented in partnership with the American Cinematheque, 'Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair' isan annual film festival showcasing some of the greatest works of cinema from across the globethat venture into the darkest sides of humanity and the bleakest points in human history.

The fifth annual edition in June 2026 expands to nearly 100 theaters across the U.S., Canada,U.K. and South and Central America, with each venue presenting its own original curated lineupof uncompromising films defined by unpleasanttruths and raw empathy.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Stray Cat Film Center