Months after it premiered in competition at this year’s Cannes and ahead of its North American bow at the Toronto International Film Festival , “Oh, Canada,” the latest film from Paul Schrader, has been acquired for North American distribution by Kino Lorber.
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Kino Lorber will release “Oh, Canada” theatrically this December, and it will even give the film an awards season push, particularly for star Richard Gere in a performance that has earned him strong reviews. The cast also includes Uma Thurman, Jacob Elordi, and Michael Imperioli.
“Oh, Canada” is written and directed by Schrader and is based on the novel “Foregone” by the late Russell Banks, who earlier wrote “Affliction,” the source of Schrader’s 1997 film of the same name. Gere in the film plays Leonard Fife, an aging and ailing documentary filmmaker sitting down for what will be his final interview in order to reflect on his relationships, regrets, and mortality.
Fife sits for the interview with his former student Malcolm (Imperioli), and the movie flashes back to Fife’s prior avoidance of the Vietnam War draft, sharing candid stories of himself as a young man (Elordi) in the ’60s and beyond. His wife (Thurman) hears it all, and his successes are held up against his failings, the lies against the facts, and as the man in full is cleansed of the myth, Leonard must confront what is left, according to the synopsis.
IndieWire was sadly not a fan of the film out of Cannes, saying in its review that audiences would be “bewildered” by what is some of Schrader’s “most experimental and alienating work in some time, which loses itself in the process.” Reviews out of Cannes were similarly mixed, though that’s not out of character for many of Schrader’s more challenging and ambitious films. IndieWire did though have a wide-ranging conversation with Schrader on “Oh, Canada” and a terrible idea he heard for a “Taxi Driver” sequel.
After TIFF, “Oh, Canada” is set for another screening at the New York Film Festival this fall. Kino Lorber is also planning an awards season push, a home video, educational, and digital release on all major platforms.
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“Oh, Canada is a stunning artistic achievement by the great Paul Schrader, a poignant, formally daring rumination on aging, memory, and mortality anchored by a commanding performance from Richard Gere,” Kino Lorber’s Lisa Schwartz said in a statement. “Schrader and Gere are true icons of American cinema, and we couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to bring their reunion to audiences across North America.”
“I’ve been tracking Kino Lorber’s films for years, and I’m happy to become part of the family,” said Schrader.
The deal for “Oh, Canada” was negotiated by Kino Lorber Head of Theatrical Acquisitions and Distribution Lisa Schwartz and David Gonzales and WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers.
“Oh, Canada” is an Arclight Films International presentation of a Northern Lights, Vested Interest, Ottocento, Left Home Prods. production, in association with Exemplary Films, Carte Blanche Entertainment, One Two Twenty Entertainment, Sipur Studios. The film is produced by David Gonzales, Tiffany Boyle, Luisa Law, Meghan Hanlon, and Scott Lastaiti.
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