The American actor Richard Gere plays the role of a sick man at the end of his life in the film "Oh Canada" directed by Paul Schrader, which is competing for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

And the voiceover heard at the beginning of the film leaves no room for doubt: these are the last moments of a person's life.

Gere is shown sitting in a wheelchair, holding a urine bag in his hand, while his eyes appear partially closed due to illness and pain. This is the first time Gere takes on such a role, far from the characters that portray him as an attractive man like in the films "American Gigolo" and "Pretty Woman."

After more than 40 years since their first collaboration, Schrader and the 74-year-old actor reunite in this film adapted from a novel by Russell Banks, who passed away last year. "Oh, Canada," which is the title of a song by Neil Young, tells the story of a famous documentary filmmaker named Leonard Fife who gained fame by exposing scandals and his political commitment. Schrader previously made a film inspired by Banks's first novel titled "Affliction."