Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada” is a morose, unusual and solely partially participating drama that represents a uncommon misstep within the prolific filmmaker’s profession.
Whereas Schrader’s movies could be hit and miss, he’s been on a roll, with the success of his wild, provocative “First Reformed” and the surprisingly potent “The Card Vendor.”
With Schrader, you at all times wait to be hit with an ice-cold plot twist that sends his characters tumbling down the rabbit gap. As a prolific movie artist, Schrader’s greatest movies are classics and his worst movies are, nonetheless, fascinating and stuffed with intriguing parts.
Now in his late 70s and nonetheless making motion pictures that generate shock and engaging discussions, it’s inconceivable for me to rely Schrader out, even when he makes one thing like “Oh, Canada.”
Richard Gere stars as Leo Fife, an aged, celebrated filmmaker who agrees to an intensive interview for a documentary on his life. Michael Imperioli performs the documentary’s director, whereas Uma Thurman co-stars as Fife’s spouse, who sits at his facet.
As intensive flashbacks take up the vast majority of the operating time, Gere’s character can also be performed by Jacob Elordi (a good selection to painting a youthful Leo). We see that in his youthful days, Fife was a draft dodger who created an entire new life for himself abroad.
That’s about it for the plot.
There’s a quick montage of the flicks Fife made however in any other case, we’re drifting by way of the psychological mists of Fife’s ailing psyche. Schrader has made many movies which can be disturbing and confrontational however by no means this boring.
A weird contact is how, along with Elordi and Gere taking part in the identical character at various instances of his life, typically the flashback will start with Elordi, then swap to Gere taking part in the half and taking on the scene and vice versa.
Likewise, Thurman typically performs her youthful self in opposition to Elordi as Fife’s youthful self. There are two sensible the reason why Schrader determined to do that: it conveys how we view the previous, regardless of what age we’re presently and immerse ourselves in our fading reminiscences.
“If you happen to’re gonna make a movie about dying, you higher hurry up.” Paul Schrader on how a bout with lengthy COVID, impressed him to make a movie primarily based on Russell Banks’ novel FOREGONE and the way it ended up being referred to as OH, CANADA. #TIFF24 pic.twitter.com/8pWqvJsrEg
— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) December 18, 2024
Additionally, it’s a technique to preserve Gere within the film, as he would in any other case be confined to a wheelchair and solely doing scenes the place he seems haggard and struggling to recall his life. Both manner, seeing Gere in mattress with a a lot youthful actress taking part in the youthful model of his spouse, or Thurman sharing an erotic second with Elordi, is simply weird.
It jogs my memory of Todd Solondz’ weird experimental movie “Palindromes” (2004), the place the principle character was performed by a shifting assortment of actors. Right here, it’s meant to be provocative and join with the ageless high quality of our reminiscences, however the efforts lead to a inventive misstep. However, it’s additionally the one really daring factor in regards to the movie.
Gere is excellent at taking part in an achieved artist who, on the finish of his life, displays on his regrets and errors. But, because the focus fades from him to Elordi and again once more with out a lot sustained curiosity, the entire thing feels random and indifferent.
Elordi continues to be a charming actor and “Oh, Canada” is fantastically shot. I favored how the movie inventory establishes the shifting eras and realities, and the units and interval particulars are vivid. But, I saved ready for Schrader to essentially unleash one thing surprising and it by no means occurs.
Really, not a lot occurs in “Oh, Canada.”
Schrader’s greatest movies, that are unmissable, embrace “Blue Collar” (1978), “Mishima: A Life in 4 Chapters” (1985), “The Consolation of Strangers” (1990) and “Adam Resurrected” (2008). Along with his acclaimed screenplays for Martin Scorsese, Schrader constantly crafts unique works that discover issues of religion, identification and the human psyche.
His movies are meditations on loss, future and fractured identification. I used to be excited to see Gere and Thurman (reunited for the primary time because the 1992 thriller “Ultimate Evaluation”) and what they’d convey to a Schrader movie however their efforts are wasted in one of many few Schrader movies I’d hesitate to name compelling.
Two Stars