Last year, Paul Schrader completed a trilogy of critically acclaimed films (“First Refromed,” “The Card Counter” and “The Master Gardener.”) He’s now back with a new effort, “Oh, Canada,” which also marks the first time he’s been in Cannes competition since the ‘80s.
Sadly, Schrader has made a total bore out of “Oh, Canada.” It’s a meditation on mortality, memory and regret. However, Schrader, in misguiding fashion, keeps cross-cutting, multiple timelines, between Richard Gere’s dying filmmaker and the younger version of this character (played by Jacob Elordi). It turns to be very muddled and uninteresting storytelling.
The film, based on Russell Banks’ 2021 novel “Foregone,” stars Gere, Elordi and Uma Thurman. It’s a very grim film that parallels Schrader’s own recent health problems. Too bad it’s so flat, superficial and unrewarding. Elordi and, especially, Gere are good here, but Schrader does them no favors in being unable to control his hamfisted narrative weaving.
Critics seem to be in agreement. “Oh, Canada” is getting panned practically across the board — The Guardian, IndieWire, The Wrap, THR, and The Telegraph all disliked it. So far, it’s the worst film to have screened in this year’s Cannes competition.