Oh Canada
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5 stars)
Conventional is not a word that you would associate with writer/director Paul Schrader (First Reformed, American Gigolo) if you were to peruse his filmography. As a filmmaker, he tends to break through barriers set by the industry to display his artistry without any apology or explanation. He takes on Russell Banks' novel Foregone as a timely expression of how history can repeat itself in people’s personal lives and within the world's polity.
Richard Gere (Chicago) takes on the tragically sympathetic role of filmmaker Leonard "Leo" Fife who is dying of cancer. He decides to do a final interview as a documentary filmed by his former students Malcolm (Michael Imperioli) and Diana (Victoria Hill) to relieve himself of his past sins. With his wife, Emma (Uma Thurman), looking on during this tell-all expose, Leo begins to share stories of dodging the draft, previous relationships, and unethical practices within his life and career that weave in and out of the possible realities of his perceived legendary lifestyle. Even though Malcolm hopes to draw attention to Leo’s award-winning filmmaking career, his subject continues to unload fragments of his past as his body and mind fail him.
Stripped of all of the aesthetic appeal that has defined his career, Richard Gere is captivating as he shares the narrative of Leo’s life. Raw, heartbreaking and confronting, his performance carries this film through from beginning to end. Leo’s stories prove to be the ramblings of a man suffering from illness and medications, causing his testimonials to become less than reliable as each story becomes more disjointed. Yet, within the madness of his time in front of the camera, the formidable figure is humanised and shows the audience an unnerving vulnerability many experience.
Within this series of jumbled memories, Jacob Elordi (Saltburn) portrays Leo as a young man doing his best to make sense of the world and determine what to do when confronted by the draft. The younger version of the filmmaker convincingly travels between relationships and life situations unfolding in the older version of himself. Uma Thurman puts in an outstanding performance within the reality of the film session as his wife, who is trying to figure out what to do with all of this information about her husband. She also needs to determine if she needs to protect him from these documentary opportunists they consider friends.
Oh Canada has political undertones, but it turns out to be more of a character study of those yearning for redemption for their lives. It is an artistic expression of Paul Shrader as he exposes the heart of humanity at its most vulnerable while making subtle statements about our world.
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Reel Dialogue: Confession
Within moments of the camera rolling and Leo (Gere) beginning his monologue, it was evident that he yearned to confess the filmmaker’s past. Relieving himself of his past sins against those he loved and those who he had hurt throughout his life. As he shared, there was pain involved but a relief for unpacking woes that had plagued him up until that point. This wasn’t the confessional in many films involving a priest. Yet, this documentary director did all he could to release his sins to his god, the god of film.
1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
In the Christian tradition, confession is valued as it leads to repentance, aligning one’s heart with the God of the Bible and rebuilding a relationship with God and others. For those outside of the faith, the relief of confessing can come through acknowledging God and humbly asking for His forgiveness. An act that will begin the restoration process and allow a connection with the one who can genuinely relieve you of the guilt, shame and burden that comes from carrying these past issues through life.
Confession doesn’t have to be done in a wooden box with a priest or on camera for the world to see. Thankfully, God is waiting for you to turn to him to confess, not as a means of catching you out, but instead to show you His love and acknowledge your need for grace and mercy.
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