Paul Schrader Oh Canada Interview

Interview with Paul Schrader, writer of:

• Taxi Driver (1976)

• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

• Bringing Out the Dead (1999).

Director/writer of:

• American Gigolo (1980)

• First Reformed (2017)

• The Card Counter (2021)

The interview centers on his latest film, Oh, Canada (2024), which premiered at Cannes and stars Jacob Elordi, Uma Thurman, Michael Imperioli, and Richard Gere.

Here’s the synopsis:

Leonard Fife (Gere/Elordi), one of sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam, shares all his secrets to de-mythologize his mythologized life.

The film is a deep meditation on the immortality of the image world. Much of the action centers on Gere, a documentarian on his deathbed, giving a final confession for his life’s transgressions to a documentary film crew (Imperioli) and his wife (Thurman).

Schrader breaks down one of the most compelling parts of Oh Canada, how linear reality has softened for Gere and how he navigated the four layers of reality in the film, which bridge past, present, and distorted memory.

He also details how a loose rehearsal process is critical for tight shooting schedules.

And finally, Martin Scorsese’s advice on what to do when you’re stuck on set.

Oh, Canada trailer.

In theaters December 5th.