After completing his recent thematic trilogy, Paul Schrader turned to a new project, adapting the late Russell Banks’ 2021 novel Foregone and reuniting with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere. Oh, Canada!, which wrapped filming last year and will likely get a festival premiere at Cannes or Venice, also stars Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, and Michael Imperioli. With Arclight Films introducing the film to buyers at EFM in Berlin, they’ve now unveiled the first batch of images.
Here’s the official synopsis: “Oh, Canada depicts the story of famed documentary filmmaker Leonard Fife, an American leftist who fled to Canada as a young man to avoid the Vietnam War draft. As Fife battles cancer in Montreal during his twilight years, he agrees to a final interview. Intent on revealing his long-guarded secrets and demystifying his mythologized life, Fife’s shocking confession unfolds amidst the presence of his wife, Emma (Uma Thurman), his devoted former student Malcolm MacLeod (Michael Imperioli), and a team of filmmakers capturing this profound moment.”
“We were all dealing with mortality issues as Leonard does in the film. You get to the point where you wonder how many bullets you have left in the gun,” Schrader tells Variety. “Fife is dying and realizing that his whole life has been built on lies and he is trying to confront himself before he dies.” He added, “I’ve now made my film about confronting death. I’m now ready to move on to other things.”
See the images below.
