Writer/director Paul Schrader supposedly completed his thematic “man in a room” trilogy in 2022 with Master Gardener yet, his latest film Oh, Canada continues his dissection of isolated men exploring their sins. Oh, Canada showcases a strong performance from Richard Gere which elevates a redemptive personal tale which has issues maintaining its intrigue.
The film, based on Russell Banks’ 2021 novel Forgone, sees Gere play terminally ill filmmaker Leonard Fife as he confesses his truth about Vietnam War draft dodging and personal demons to a documentary crew. With Oh, Canada, Schrader continues to show why he’s so renowned for stories that get at the heart of flawed and damaged characters. He does a flawless job creating this early hook of Leonard taking control of the interview that surprises everyone – especially viewers. At first, the interview seems like it’ll just harmlessly look into Leonard’s career and lightly touch on his personal life. But then, Leonard seizes power over his own story and establishes an unfiltered standard that instantly draws you into his perspective and voice.
From there, you’re simply left hanging on Leonard’s every word as he dives into his past and shells out some tough pills to swallow. In many ways, Leonard’s efforts tap into a looming fear we all have — looking back at ourselves without ignoring the ugly parts. Whether it’s decisions he makes that hurt people close to him or coming to grips with evading the draft, there’s a fair amount of rawness to Leonard’s storytelling and it’s fascinating to experience. It’s this honestly what makes Oh, Canada such a highly connective watch, as there’s something richly cathartic about seeing Leonard want to put a real version of himself on tape. It makes the trips back in time have a bigger meaning, and Schrader improves the experience through his strong work behind the camera.
The addition of stylistic aesthetics and reflective shots help add a necessary visual depth to Leonard’s intrapersonal pondering. Schrader and cinematographer Andrew Wonder make Leonard’s yearning for whatever’s beyond the Canadian border visually stunning and carry emotional weight. There are reflection shots that excellently cause the past and present to bleed into one another. Schrader and Wonder definitely bring their A-game, and viewers are treated with another great performer with every glimpse of the past. As a younger Leonard, Jacob Elordi matches Gere’s energy and helps build a screen presence for the character that’s looming all over this story. Even when other characters are talking or being focused on, you feel Leonard on-screen and it’s largely thanks to Elordi and Gere.
Gere’s performance is remarkable. He brings a voice to Leonard that immediately grabs your attention and never lets go. His narration gives the experience a sense of life and passion that’s driven by Leonard’s need to explain his truth. Every thought or comment he has about himself or even others in the room with him is infinitely more impactful because Gere is there, and it’s emblematic of the haunting hurt he brings to the role. It’s probably one of the rawest performances Gere’s ever given.
Unfortunately, Gere’s performance and the genuine strengths of the film’s personal touch, can’t keep Oh, Canada from quickly becoming an inconsistent experience. We jump to different points of Leonard’s life too often without a clear indication of why it’s important or noteworthy. Leonard, himself, is a tad unreliable as a narrator because he changes details or loses his train of thought fairly often. Other characters, including former students who are filming him and his wife Emma (Uma Thurman) interrupt him way too much — ultimately breaking the momentum of the story or cutting things off as they get good. Overall, there’s never a firm grip on the pacing or direction of the story that’s being told, and that can make it hard to stay engaged with. Because of all this wasted time and jumping around, it feels like a lot of Leonard’s story is left on the table and results in an underwhelming experience that feels like it has more to give.
Oh, Canada might benefit from a can’t-miss performance from Gere and Schrader’s ability to tap into a genuinely interesting character-type, but it’s definitely more bittersweet than his more recent efforts because it simply can’t get out of its own way.
