Ethan Hawke, after years of restrained public comment, has finally shared his thinking on First Reformed’s mind-bending conclusion.
During Vanity Fair’s recent video series chronicling his career, Hawke described the ending as a purposeful conundrum, created to embody what the film states outright: real wisdom means holding two opposites at once.
In this final moment, viewers watch Reverend Ernst Toller teeter between surrender and transcendence, possibly dying, possibly reborn, locked in an embrace with Mary as reality blurs. Hawke asserts that the power of this scene comes from its resistance to reduction: if it were pinned down, much of its resonance would vanish.
Paul Schrader, whose prior work includes screenplays for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, wanted the last scene to act as a kind of spiritual “bell”; its true meaning isn’t in the ring, but in the reverberation it leaves long after leaving the theater.
Schrader himself confirmed in several interviews that he crafted the conclusion for openness so that questions, not answers, drive the audience to reflect on Toller’s fate and the film’s moral weight.
The kiss between Toller and Mary in the final seconds has inspired endless discussions among fans and scholars: is it the reality of redemption or an imagined vision at death’s edge?
Hawke’s interpretation, rooted in Schrader’s own words, frames this ambiguity as an intentional gift rather than a narrative shortcoming, allowing each viewer’s emotional truth to find space within the story.
Hope, Despair, and the Roots of Ambiguity: How Audiences Read Toller’s Fate
The conversation about First Reformed’s ending transcends simple plot mechanics. On Reddit’s r/TrueFilm and across major review sites, interpretations are deeply divided.
Some viewers, taking a literal stance, believe Mary’s arrival genuinely interrupts Toller’s suicide, offering a final argument for hope in the face of his personal and planetary despair. Others see the scene as the ultimate vision, a dying reverie born of longing, where grace reaches Toller only in his final moments.
Paul Schrader told Vulture and A24’s official podcast that the ending balances on the knife-edge between miracle and hallucination, and that neither reading is wrong.
As he notes, details like the room’s lighting and sudden silence may hint at otherworldly intervention or signal an ecstatic, impossible connection between two souls on the brink.
Ethan Hawke (Credit: NBC)
The ambiguity, for both Schrader and Hawke, reflects the film’s deeper purpose: to get audiences wrestling with faith, guilt, ecological dread, and the search for meaning issues that lack tidy, cinematic closure.
Hawke sums up the experience as one where the true ending unfolds inside each viewer, shaped by their own wrestling with hope, purpose, and despair.
Ripples in Cinema: Why First Reformed’s Ending Still Matters
Seven years after its premiere, First Reformed stands as a testament to the enduring value of ambiguous endings in film. Its abrupt yet charged conclusion set off a new wave of critical discussion about what movies can ask of audiences, trusting them to find meaning in uncertainty rather than in concrete answers.
Streaming-era viewers, used to tidy explanations or franchise tie-ins, often debate the cinematic merits of such open-endedness. Yet, as awards coverage and think pieces from Slate, ScreenRant, and others note, Schrader’s film is cited as a turning point for American drama, one that empowers the audience’s subjective truth.
For Ethan Hawke, this remains the role of a lifetime, defined as much by what he doesn’t say as what he does. The discourse around First Reformed’s conclusion continues to thrive because neither Schrader nor Hawke will resolve its uncertainty.
Instead, they reinforce cinema’s power to leave stories open, trusting that meaning reverberates best where answers are held lightly and possibility lingers.
DC fans who have waited years for Batman’s rebooted arrival finally got a genuine update from director Andy Muschietti. He confirmed last week that news about “ Batman : The Brave and the Bold” could surface in just a few months, a timeline that has ignited excitement just as much as it has stoked worry.
Muschietti’s remarks came as Warner Bros. Discovery faces a potential sale and restructuring, triggering speculation around whether the film is fully secure or skating close to more delays.
From the outset, Brave and the Bold represented the cornerstone for James Gunn’s newly mapped DC Universe. The reboot is designed to introduce Bruce Wayne and his son Damian in stories inspired by Grant Morrison’s comics, a dynamic that marks the DCU’s first attempt at a true Bat-Family onscreen.
Yet, two years since Gunn’s announcement, the film’s development cycle has dragged, echoing concerns voiced online about studio priorities and the shifting sands of superhero cinema.
Studio executives maintain that no DC film will proceed before its screenplay is refined beyond doubt. The Batman reboot hasn’t secured a writer or locked its star, with Gunn noting the surging demand among A-list actors for the cape but declining to float names before the script is ready.
Meanwhile, the studio’s hush points to a wider business reality: any major movement on Brave and the Bold may not officially kick off until after Matt Reeves’s The Batman: Part II (with Robert Pattinson) lands in 2027, preventing fan confusion and keeping studio release schedules aligned.
For now, Muschietti remains attached to direct, but every step depends on creative and business winds shifting.
Script Woes, Studio Shakeups & Fandom Tension
Behind the delays, script quality is driving the timeline as much as executive uncertainty, with James Gunn prioritizing “no movie before the script is right.”
Some projects have been paused or axed altogether after failing to deliver innovation. Brave and the Bold, in particular, faces the monumental task of distinguishing itself from every earlier Batman film while launching a Bat-Family dynamic never attempted in mainstream superhero cinema.
At the same time, Warner Bros. Discovery’s ongoing sale leaves DC Studios hesitant to greenlight major productions before ownership and creative vision settle definitively.
Fan frustration is palpable as other projects like “Sgt. Rock” and “Swamp Thing” have been shelved, fueling pressure for a Batman reboot that can truly impress.
Andy Muschietti (Credit: BBC)
On social media and in the comment sections of YouTube and Reddit, Muschietti’s involvement draws skepticism, citing his prior box office woes with “The Flash.”
Yet his acclaimed work on “It” and the positive early buzz for “Welcome to Derry” suggest he might restore faith if he delivers a creative edge in his Batman story. The key issue for DC Studios is getting the timing and vision right, presenting something genuinely fresh amid a crowded superhero slate.
New Mythos and Future Moves: Redefining Gotham on Gunn’s Terms
Industry watchers now analyze whether Gunn and Muschietti can fuse a distinct direction for the world’s most bankable superhero. Gunn’s hands-on method promises a script-first approach, but dual development of Pattinson’s Batman sequel and Brave and the Bold risks oversaturation if releases aren’t carefully spaced.
Rumors swirl over casting, creative voice, and universe-building, with Gunn’s desire to adapt Morrison’s run leaving room for new takes on family, morality, and modern anxieties in Gotham.
There’s speculation that “Brave and the Bold” could see Jason Todd instead of Damian Wayne as Robin, a sign of how much is still in flux. The Bat-Family premise, including potential appearances for Batgirl and Nightwing, raises anticipation for ensemble storytelling beyond solitary heroics.
Gunn has confirmed that the story is being “aggressively retooled ” with major plot and character changes since its first announcement.
Industry trend-watchers increasingly see Brave and the Bold not just as a tentpole film but as a litmus test for DC Studios, challenged to balance franchise legacy, new storytelling, and audience fatigue. With Gunn and Muschietti at the helm, the stakes for Gotham’s next chapter seem higher than ever.
