Richard Gere says he contemplated coming to Canada to avoid being sent to the Vietnam War.

The actor plays a draft dodger in Paul Schrader香蕉视频直播檚 film 香蕉视频直播淥h Canada,香蕉视频直播� and like his character, was a conscientious objector as a young man, he tells a group of journalists at the Cannes Film Festival a day after its premiere.

香蕉视频直播淚 ended up running,香蕉视频直播� Gere says Saturday, careful to reveal little about how he dodged authorities.

But instead of fleeing to Canada as his character does, he moved to the U.S. West Coast.

香蕉视频直播淭he draft board was harassing my parents and the neighbours where I was. So I came back, went through a process and that香蕉视频直播檚 when they decided I (did not have the) mental stability that they wanted to give me a gun.香蕉视频直播�

Gere reteams with the director who made him a star in 1980香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淎merican Gigolo,香蕉视频直播� this time to play Leonard Fife 香蕉视频直播� a Montreal-based documentary filmmaker who is celebrated for taking a stand against the Vietnam War by fleeing to Canada, and for turning his camera on atrocities like the development of Agent Orange in New Brunswick and residential school violence.

In the film, Leonard is feted at a Montreal film festival and touted as a winner of Genie and Gemini awards 香蕉视频直播� precursors to the Canadian Screen Awards which combined the film and television prizes.

A filmmaker contracted by the CBC, played by Michael Imperioli, is making a celebratory profile of Leonard and compares him to Toronto piano virtuoso Glenn Gould.

However, Leonard is terminally ill and hijacks the interview for a deathbed confession, coming clean about his life in front of the camera and his wife, played by Uma Thurman.

The movie, an examination of where the truth lies in documentary filmmaking and memory, is largely set and steeped in Canadiana, but it wasn香蕉视频直播檛 shot north of the border.

香蕉视频直播淚t cost too much,香蕉视频直播� Gere says to a chorus of laughter.

香蕉视频直播淲e did it right where we all lived so we didn香蕉视频直播檛 have to pay per diems.香蕉视频直播�

Based on the Russell Banks novel 香蕉视频直播淔oregone,香蕉视频直播� the film jumps back and forth in time following Leonard香蕉视频直播檚 not exactly reliable memories, which continue to deteriorate as he succumbs to cancer.

Leonard香蕉视频直播檚 younger self is played by Jacob Elordi, the heartbreaker from 香蕉视频直播淪altburn香蕉视频直播� and Sofia Coppola香蕉视频直播檚 Toronto-shot 香蕉视频直播淧riscilla.香蕉视频直播�

Elordi did not attend the Cannes premiere for 香蕉视频直播淥h, Canada,香蕉视频直播� because he was actually in Canada to shoot Guillermo del Toro香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淔rankenstein.香蕉视频直播� Toronto fans have taken to social media in recent weeks to share sightings of the 香蕉视频直播淓uphoria香蕉视频直播� star.

It香蕉视频直播檚 hinted that the young Leonard may have had less altruistic reasons for opposing the war, his activism revealed as an opportunistic act. When asked about present-day political activism, Schrader suggests it can be similarly muddled by individual opportunism and unrelated grievances.

Schrader takes particular issue with the way criticism against atrocities in Gaza has been conveyed by some protesters: 香蕉视频直播淪ome of which is antisemitism masking itself as political correctness.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭hese people don香蕉视频直播檛 have, really, skin in the game. They香蕉视频直播檙e not going to get drafted. (Only) a handful of them are Palestinian,香蕉视频直播� he says.

香蕉视频直播淎 lot kids are just doing this cosplay. Cosplay revolutionaries. Let香蕉视频直播檚 dress up. Let香蕉视频直播檚 put the kaffiyeh on. Let香蕉视频直播檚 shout. And then afterwards, let香蕉视频直播檚 go to McDonald香蕉视频直播檚.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 not the level of seriousness as it was with Vietnam 香蕉视频直播� when people actually had skin in the game, when they were getting drafted and they were going (to war) and their friends were dying,香蕉视频直播� he continues.

Gere says American activism in the 1960s was much different to activism today.

香蕉视频直播淭he 香蕉视频直播�60s was an explosion of possibilities and challenging everything. The youth movement of that time was in all the universities. It was in high schools,香蕉视频直播� he says.

香蕉视频直播淚t was going in this other direction questioning the status quo support, order of how things are done in the world. And I don香蕉视频直播檛 think that香蕉视频直播檚 happened here.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播� Radheyan Simonpillai is a freelance writer based on Toronto

Radheyan Simonpillai, The Canadian Press