Alternate Best Actor 2018: Ethan Hawke in First Reformed

Ethan Hawke did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning the vast majority of critics prizes and winning the Independent Spirit Award, for portraying Pastor Ernst Toller in First Reformed.

First Reformed follows a pastor of a small parish grappling a myriad of troubling issues. A film with much potential however writer/director Paul Schrader too often gives away his hand by indulging in some particularly aggressive finger wagging towards his audience.

This film fits into the larger scheme of nearly Schrader's entire career as a filmmaker where his aim has typically been to focus upon men on a razors edge drifting towards extremism. Whether this be the survivalist of The Mosquito Coast, the delusion policeman of Affliction, the imperialist writer of Mishima and perhaps the most relevant to this film, the insomniac war vet turned taxi cab driver of Taxi Driver. This idea though intertwined with another film, Diary of a Country Priest, to create yet another path towards the extreme. As with all these films, the performance behind this journey is an essential facet to the work. In this instance we have Ethan Hawke, who while has always been a good performer far beyond the nonsense derision he sometimes has received in popular culture, but has most recently been carving a path for himself marked with several impressive turns in a variety of roles. His performance here as Ernst Toller though is in particular a challenge, as falling into the overwrought, given the often heavy handed writing, is a constant danger. Hawke though was perhaps then the ideal candidate for the role, given his typical approach is a naturalistic one. This is for the best here as line between becoming simply an overt symbol for allegory, and actually realizing Toller as a man could have been easily blurred. Thankfully with Hawke in the role such concerns can easily be forgotten.

Hawke's performance is essential in realizing the initial state of the man that, as typical to Schrader, isn't exactly well balanced even before the narrative draws itself forward. Hawke's performance though is key to realizing this in a way that makes the material more conducive to a real emotional narrative. Take his initial scenes where we see Toller go upon his rather limited tasks as pastor, where he delivers sermons, but more often just seems to be caretaker for his historical church the titular First Reformed. Hawke's work is fascinating in that he manages to find something rather potent in a unique dispassion within the role. This as he finds this certain balance of almost a passion of lacking passion, as he does not depict Toller as someone simply going through motions, even though that is technically what the character is doing initially. Hawke instead portrays this sort spiritual indifference as a considerable burden upon the man, as Hawke's work evokes a constriction of essential the man's soul. This is as there is nothing soulful of his "good works" that Hawke is able to depicts as the man fulfilling his duties without passion. What is remarkable though is that underlying anxiety that Hawke brings within that, which conveys how troubling this state is for the man.

There is a fascinating way he brings this certain detachment within the character that relates essentially to the man's own struggle that burdens him, perhaps to the point of excessive self-reflection. This of course is exemplified with his diary he writes, that is both evokes "Country Priest" and Schrader's screenplay to Taxi Driver. It is technically more similar to the former as there is far less of a sense of it as any type of manifesto. His narration is key to this in creating this as another form of Toller's internalized anguish. What makes Hawke's performance so effective in this is creating the sense of the unknown and doubt. This actually isn't traditional doubt of God, but rather doubt relating more so to existence. Hawke's work is subtle, yet striking in creating a deep rooted pain in the moralization of thought, but also importantly his portrayal of the physical presence of the man. This is actually what I find is an essential factor to the power of Hawke's performance as his way of containing himself in every interaction in these early scenes conveys two things. One being created distance between himself, that creates Schrader's favorite, the sense of isolation so notably, but also the sense of the literal illness of the man. As Hawke, without falling into overt expression, carries himself man in constant state of pain.

An "inciting" incident in this tale comes as Toller is called upon a concerned pregnant wife, Mary....subtle there Schrader....(Amanda Seyfried), to speak to her husband, a nihilistic environmentalist. The scene of speaking to the man is interlaced with Toller's narration commenting on their conversation, a conversation that pressures Toller's views of God and of the world, while the man deeply questions bringing a child into a world he foresees as being doomed. Hawke's performance in this scene as in part he exudes an uncertainty of not knowing exactly how to speak in order to get through to the man. It is with this reserve of the man attempting to position himself as the religious mentor, though unable to wholly commit to this act. This is as the one message he attempts to impart is the idea of losing a child rather than bringing a child into the world. Hawke is incredible as Toller recounts the tale of his son and his eventual death in the military. Hawke recounts this in a fascinating way as a man framing strongly his anguish of this loss, and though such a tale might end with the note of the preciousness of life, Hawke uses it instead to reveal a hole in his soul. What is so remarkable is how calm yet still vibrant Hawke realizes this loss within Toller, where he fails to assuage the man, however Hawke is able to realize this precarious frame of mind of Toller himself.

Toller's words obviously do little to help the man who he discovers along with Mary is planning a terrorist attack via a bomb jacket. Before the man carries it out though he ends up committing suicide. It is worth noting Hawke's excellent moment of identifying the horror in the instance of discovering the suicide. This action though doesn't help Toller as Hawke portrays a man becomes all the more contemplative as he takes in that suicide and begins to examine the man's extremist world view. Hawke's performance is essential here as much of these scenes are within the observant quality of his work. This is as he interacts with the community still, including those who he believe are part of the problem regarding the environment, and Mary. Within the scenes of interacting with hostile youth, and a local businessman, Hawke is great in creating this helplessness of these moments. There is an earnest desire to try to communicate his views in these moments, and in the quick brushing off of any of his statements Hawke internalizes all the greater sense of anxiety. An anxiety that he builds gradually within Toller that is this greater threat to his psyche, and in his moments of explaining it openly we see this most uneasy display of tension from Hawke. Hawke portrays a man who never had this specific cause, yet finds this way of this weight of it within the man's mind. When he explains the environmental destruction as an affront to God, Hawke is outstanding by expressing this difficulty and agony of the act of attempting to refine his passion, especially as it is so routinely ignored by others.

Hawke's performance is essentially volcanic, that he depicts brilliantly by building that tension of the man, that existed even as the film began, but now refining all his anxieties within this one cause that becomes his fixation. The only time he has even a minor release from this is in his scenes with Mary. Hawke's again great by not falling into an easy sentiment in these moments. As even in these moments he only shows a slighter ease of state as this man who still has this level of distance. This is even as he and Mary share a especially intimate state of meditation by lying upon one another. Even in this act Hawke is able to convey in his eyes the sense of his mind still being off in his thoughts that become this festering wound. What is so notable about Hawke's for me is as he maintains, even in the most heavy handed instances of dialogue, a strict reality in his own performance. His delivery and general performance makes sense of this state of a man, who has become embedded within his thoughts, and within his fate towards a state of a very specific near mania. Hawke evokes the gravity of the entire world in his depressed state of being, that becomes dangerous as he begins to react against it. Once this begins to happen Hawke is especially striking as he so naturally built up to such a understated man becoming essentially radical. This is even in the moment of another female parishioner offering some attempt to comfort him. Hawke's immediate moment of outrage towards the woman is rather terrifying as he speaks as though she is pushing him from some divine purpose.

I love though how Hawke essentially makes this is restrained outburst still of a man, who has never spoken up within his life, yet now his sense of ruin is overwhelming. Hawke makes sense of a quiet pastor, who though perhaps dejected, is prompted towards committing a terrorist act using the bomb vest of the deceased man to blow up his own church. This is through that internalized tension of self that includes his struggles understanding his place in his faith, the use of the world, the loss of his son and his own physical ailments. Hawke's work is imbued with that apprehension that finally explodes towards an open rather harrowing breakdown. This is as he prepares originally for the attack, with his vest all prepared, and with this state of  man prepared to release himself to God as his own funeral. The sense of determination is shown by Hawke as a man who seemingly has found his purpose, this is until he sees Mary also entering the church. Hawke's reaction is amazing as this searing pain, as his prepared release is instantly foiled, and he stuck to wither for the moment. This leads to the excessively symbolic moment of Toller wrapping himself in barbed wire as though it was a crown of thorns, but I'll give Hawke all the credit in the world for not only selling it but granting a power to the scene by realizing this state of madness so vividly. Vividly to the point in granting any reality to the sense of a man writhing in that failure of spiritual liberation. Toller prepares an alternative suicide, via cup of Drano, until Mary appears, to which the two make out, naturally. Again on paper this could be frankly kind of stupid, but it is Hawke's performance that sells it as he release as much ferocity in this act as he did placing the barb wire upon himself, revealing the man finding a different release through this expression of love rather than that act of hate. This is an outstanding turn by Ethan Hawke as his performance grants a needed reality to every symbolic gesture, and grandiose statement by Schrader's script, through his haunting portrait of most unusual struggle of a man of God.