Page - 143 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/01

such a way that it engenders introspection and reflection on the film’s spiritual themes. The transcendent is never an explicit subject of the film but is allud- ed to and suspended just out of the picture, anticipated in the long silences of Schrader’s slow, meditative shots and intimated in his wide, distanced frames. In this sense, there is a consonance of style and form with the film’s thematic concerns of faith and doubt. First Reformed is a valuable reinterpretation of the narratives and themes that intrigued both Bergman and Bresson some fif- ty years ago. Moreover, in striving to replicate transcendental style, the film is fascinating insofar as it constitutes the rare occurrence of a theorist’s attempt to substantiate their critical theory in a text of their own creation. Whether Schrader achieves this style is open for debate. I would argue that he certainly creates the contemplative and distanced atmosphere typical of the style, but his somewhat rudimentary approaches to complex theological and socio-politi- cal issues often undermine his transcendental aims. BIBLIOGRAPHY Schrader, Paul, 2018 [1972], Transcendental Style in Film, Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 3rd ed. FILMOGRAPHY First Reformed (Paul Schrader, US 2017). Journal d’un curé de campagne (Diary of a Country Priest, Robert Bresson, FR 1951). Nattvardsgästerna (Winter Light, Ingmar Bergman, SE 1963). Film Review: First Reformed | 143www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/1