endless, repetitious fashion. Whether performed by a harmonious choir, a solo singer, or on a freshly restored church organ, each hymn becomes a dirge – locking us in a loop from which it feels there might be no escape. Then, there is the Neil Young song, Who’s Going to Stand Up and Save the Earth, performed by the Abundant Life choir at the outdoor memorial service of Michael. It is, again, dirge-like – a rhythmic trudge through lyrics from which the performers are disconnected. Each time the otherwise quiet film cranks into music, it feels like a margin note from the writer – “I know I’m taking you round in circles. The tediousness is the point.”

The circle in which Schrader has been travelling, and in which we join him with First Reformed, is the n...

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