‘Oh, Canada’: Richard Gere Is Dying (and Confessing) in Paul Schrader’s Latest
The last time the director Paul Schrader filmed Richard Gere’s body, it was a picture of male virility. As Julian in 1980’s American Gigolo, Gere is an example of the ideal male form, either in his Armani suits or undressed. He’s a man who works out hanging upside down.
Now Gere and Schrader have reunited for Oh, Canada, which just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and the image of the star is much different. Playing a man on the verge of death, Gere (intentionally) looks terrible, his face drained and full of stubble. We hear about how his body is failing him, about the cancer eating away at his insides, and the dried feces in his ass.
Oh, Canada can be a clunky film at times—with some awkward performances and labored dialogue—but it’s also an often fascinating match of director and actor, in which they both seem to be trying to exorcize the demons of aging through art.