Interview: Paul Schrader & Cedric Kyles – First Reformed

A pastiche of Diary of a Country Priest and Winter Light, Paul Schrader latest film, First Reformed (read our ★★★★ review), follows the plot structure that made him famous at first place: it is the story of a loner trying to save a ruined maiden who was impacted by the forces of sin but in his mind, she remains immaculate. Themes discussed at length in Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, his book on religion and cinema (currently back into print) here the filmmaker embraces religious bigotry with environmentalist fundamentalism: the film represents the case that the current world isn’t just spoiled, but it also moves toward the apocalypse; to end this situation we need to do extreme action.

Released in theatres via the on May 18th via the A24 Film folks, this sit down took place at the 2017 Toronto Intl. Film Festival. In the audio you’ll hear my talk with Paul Schrader and Cedric the Entertainer, who also goes by the name of Cedric Kyles where we discussed their collaboration, inspiration, and their working strategy.