‘Oh, Canada’ Review: Paul Schrader Dissects an Dying Director's Mortality in Soulful, Reflective Drama
Paul Schrader has not made a great movie since First Reformed. The past few features within his "Man in the Room" trilogy, Master Gardener (horrendous) and The Card Counter (dull), despite their different subjects and environments, were both echo fighters of First Reformed, which is an echo fighter of Taxi Driver. I’ve been more entertained by the filmmaker’s unhinged Facebook posts. Schrader’s newest flick, Oh, Canada, based on the book Foregone by the late Russell Banks, finds the filmmaker departing from First Reformed and offering a hypnotizing drama about an ailing man pondering his life as a war dodger in his younger years (when he used to look like Jacob Elordi). Let's hope Elordi looks like Richard Gere in a few decades, huh?
Courtesy of Kino Lorber
NR
Runtime: 1 Hr and 31 Minutes
Production Companies: Foregone Film PSC, Fit Via Vi Film Productions, Lucky 13 Productions, Ottocento Films, SIPUR, Vested Interest
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Director: Paul Schrader
Writer: Paul Schrader
Cast: Richard Gere, Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, Victoria Hill, Michael Imperioli, Penelope Mitchell, Kristine Froseth
Release Date: December 6, 2024
Late 70-something Leonard Fife (Richard Gere) is an ailing documentarian filmmaker and writer who has amassed an impressive career after dodging the Vietnam War draft and arriving in Canada as a refugee during his younger years (Jacob Elordi). On the brink of death, Fife agrees to share his tell-all life story with documentary filmmakers Malcolm (Michael Imperioli) and Diana (Victoria Hill). His loyal wife Emma (Uma Thurman) oversees the production at his request. When Fife tells his story, his distorted memories blur the lines between reality and fiction.
Fife boosts Oh, Canada above the rest of Schrader's recent fare. Fife isn't atoning for his sins of being part of a hate group or being a war criminal, but his testimony is the last shot of honesty at the brink of death, unlike Schrader’s recent protagonists. He’s another soft-spoken, tortured soul who chronicles all his mundane, reflective thoughts, but there's a sincerity in his determination to speak from truth amidst a failing memory. His adventures during the ‘60s are full of damning affairs, beatnik parties with art hoes, and constant trips to a mom-and-pop shop. Through Schrader's narrative and character writing, it can be challenging to discern whether the details he divulges are intended to safeguard his ego or are merely a recollection of memories triggered by his condition. It's the framing of how revered Fife is – someone who is so highly regarded but is just a regular dude – when he's talking about something that doesn't necessarily mean anything profound. It’s what makes Oh, Canada the most engrossing Schrader character work, even more so than First Reformed.
Richard Gere delivers his narration with scorn and rawness, and you feel the harrowing realization of the imminent end coming straight for Fife. Gere eloquently articulates Fife's disorienting condition, looking like he's emulating Joe Biden with his confusion during his confident storytelling. In every jump out of his headspace and unsure pause break to reality, Fife fights off the grim reaper, adamant that the camera crew keep rolling. Schrader takes an inventive approach to illustrating the walk down Fife's distorted memory lane.
While Fife is regaling the camera crew with his tales, Schrader transports the viewer within his hippocampus, encapsulating his experience with vivid, stylish shifts. Sometimes Fife's memories are presented in black and white, yet the confidence in his narration makes it difficult to note if his details are fictitious. Furthermore, he adds other magnetizing details such as placing "Gere Fife" in scenes where "Elordi Fife" should be.
Jacob Elordi is particularly good at portraying a Schrader protagonist: a rugged, soft-spoken man who's perceptive of his surroundings and a little impulsive in his actions. I love how Schrader also cast an objectively hot talent – you should've seen the TIFF 2024 crowd of women who lined up to get a glimpse of Elordi at the On Swift Horses premiere – that makes Fife’s promiscuity during the ‘60s hella plausible. Additionally, Elordi and Gere seemingly studied each other as they texture Leonard Fife as a lived-in character.
I thought Uma Thurman was wonderful as Fife's wife Emma. Thurman holds significant weight, contextualized in her emotion as Emma serves as his business partner, wife, and keeper in all aspects. Her role is wildly captivating, particularly when Leonard becomes erratic and demands to see her via the reflective camera so he can be the most honest. I wish there were more of her in it.
Ultimately, Oh, Canada is the finest Schrader has been in years. It's a soulful and intoxicating look at the mortality and mythology of man during their most vulnerable phases in life, told with striking visuals and a haunting performance by Richard Gere.
Rating: 4/5
