Sure, cataloging the film's copious references and antecedents will make
critics feel smart — but does that just make First Reformed fan service for those who share Schrader's obvious affinity for Bresson, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Ingmar Bergman?
She's
smart, personable, with a good sense of humor, and she isn't afraid of challenging her
critics when she
feels she's not being fairly treated.