In the collective imagination, thinking about the legacy of director Paul Schrader is thinking about two films by his friend Martin Scorsese: Taxi Driver (Columbia, 1976) and Wild Bull (United Artists, 1980). Two masterpieces that would not be what they are today without the portentous scripts of Schrader, who in the midst of the new American cinema of the 70s told the story of two self-destructive characters who unquestionably portrayed the worst manners of American society, until then always exemplary as far as Hollywood was concerned. After those two works, everything that debuts with the surname Schrader is usually synonymous with guarantees. His last film, Oh, Canada (Foregone Film, 2024), aimed very high thanks, in part, to a poster shared by Richard Gere and Jacob Elordithe great icon of chivalry during the 80s and 90s along with the last of his disciples. The film hits theaters this Wednesday, December 25, with the feeling that the glamor of its actors and the prestige of its director and screenwriter are far above the final result.
Oh, Canada It is an adaptation of the novel The abandonments by Russell Banks, of whom Schrader already brought to the screen the magnificent Affliction (Lionsgate, 1997). In it, Schrader brings back a tormented protagonist, of course, but with the caveat that this time it was not social conditions that brought the character to the starting point of the film, but rather remorse and guilt. Richard Gere plays Leonard Fife, a prestigious documentary filmmaker with a terminal illness who, at the end of his life, wants to confess in one last interview and reveal his deepest secrets. The interview, conducted by the always great Michael Imperioli, a reference in television thanks to The Sopranos y White Lotus, will take the viewer on a trip to the past full of quite confusing time jumps. Through flashbacks We will see Jacob Elordi in the shoes of Fife in a past that will try to explain why the character deals with guilt, loneliness and the search for redemption.
Making an effort to forget that Gere and Elordi bear little resemblance (Elordi's almost two meters of height sings a lot), the work of both actors is very unequal. While Gere strives to get out of his natural habitat and fearlessly endures the extreme close-ups that Schrader throws at him under the excuse of the recorded interview, Elordi has trouble getting rid of himself. After Saltburn (Amazon, 2023) y Euphoria (HBO, 2019) the actor finds it difficult to separate himself from the image of a handsome and popular boy in love with himself.
Uma Thurman completes the casting, but she doesn't shine as usual either. She plays Gere's wife in the final stretch of her life. A former student of the documentary filmmaker who fell in love with her teacher despite the age difference and who does not give clarity to the story, but rather confuses it even more. Is what Fife says in his last confession true or not? His wife, who should shed some light on a labyrinthine testimony, does not clear the viewer's doubts. Open questions usually work if they are accompanied by a cathartic ending that seeks to leave the viewer with a reflection, but in this case, it seems more like the one who doesn't know how to get out of his excessively dramatic labyrinth is Schrader, who this time had a failed film.
Follow the MeriStation Twitter channel. Your video game and entertainment website, to find out all the news, updates and breaking news about the world of video games, movies, series, manga and anime. Previews, analysis, interviews, trailers, gameplays, podcasts and much more. Subscribe!
