Richard Gere gives his best performance ever as a dying filmmaker who is dying of cancer and who agrees to an interview with his former students about his life, vowing to finally tell the truth.
This is Paul Schrader's best film in years. A mosaic film made up of various bits, memories, reality, the story of a lost son and a few other things. There is no direct through line, other than the interview. There is no effort to tell his whole life and there is no effort to truly sort out what is the "truth". This is a film about the mind, memories and experiences of a man who is near death. Everything is fluid.
This is very much an old man's film. The source novel was written by a man looking at death. The film was made by a filmmaker nearing his end and who has been unwell. It is a film that is very much a about looking back at life and all the regrets one has. It's a film that is made by men near the end. I say that knowing that I am on the back end of life myself. In the months and weeks before and after my last birthday I realized I have been having all of the thoughts that Richard Gere's character have been having. In doing so I realized just how absolutely on target the film is.
As good as the film is, it is flawed, the fragmentary nature is too fragmentary in the last half hour. Something feels missing. Schrader said at the Q&A that everything is in the film except an epilogue, but something feels , slightly off.
Quibble aside I truly love this film. It moved me and it made me think about a lot of stuff. It's also a film that has resulted in a lot of discussions. This is a film that is going to grow on people. Its a film that I think is going to be hailed as one of Schrader's best once people understand the structure of the film and realize it isn't supposed to be a whole life but what happens on a man's last day.
And it needs to be said- Give Gere the Oscar right now.
Highly recommended.
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