Oh, Canada

Montreal hosts the last act of a storied life. Leonard Fife, a celebrated Canadian American leftist documentary filmmaker who dodged the Vietnam draft and found exile in Canada, lies gravely ill with cancer. The film centers on one final interview in which he tries to tear down the legend that has grown around him while admitting few secrets. Through this conversation, we move through decades of political cinema, intimate bonds, and public battles, all seen through the lens of a man who built a career on documentary truth and political conscience. There is humor, remorse, and a stubborn need to narrate his own life on his own terms. The camera becomes a mirror as memory collides with the truth. His confession isn't simply about past acts but about the art of storytelling itself.

Directed by Paul Schrader, Oh, Canada arrived in 2024 with a screenplay linked to Russell Banks' storytelling sensibility. The film anchors Gere as Leo Fife, with Thurman as Emma or Gloria, and Elordi portraying a younger version of the lead.

Box office figures place Oh, Canada at around 1,276,529 dollars worldwide, a modest return given its prestige cast and director. The numbers suggest a selective release and a niche audience drawn to Schrader's adult drama and historical themes.

While yet to define its place in the cultural conversation, the film leans on a historical figure whose life intersects cinema and political memory. If it catches on, Oh, Canada could inspire conversations about exile, truth telling, and the costs of public life, along with debates about how films shape memory.

Critics acknowledge a restrained, intimate tone delivered through strong performances. The film examines memory versus mythology, the pull of political conviction, and the toll of a life lived in the public eye. It questions how personal truth can coexist with a history that demands narrative.