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含羞草研究社檚 film 含羞草研究社淥h Canada,含羞草研究社� 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.

含羞草研究社淚 ended up running,含羞草研究社� 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.

含羞草研究社淭he draft board was harassing my parents and the neighbours where I was. So I came back, went through a process and that含羞草研究社檚 when they decided I (did not have the) mental stability that they wanted to give me a gun.含羞草研究社�

Gere reteams with the director who made him a star in 1980含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淎merican Gigolo,含羞草研究社� this time to play Leonard Fife 含羞草研究社� 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 含羞草研究社� 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含羞草研究社檛 shot north of the border.

含羞草研究社淚t cost too much,含羞草研究社� Gere says to a chorus of laughter.

含羞草研究社淲e did it right where we all lived so we didn含羞草研究社檛 have to pay per diems.含羞草研究社�

Based on the Russell Banks novel 含羞草研究社淔oregone,含羞草研究社� the film jumps back and forth in time following Leonard含羞草研究社檚 not exactly reliable memories, which continue to deteriorate as he succumbs to cancer.

Leonard含羞草研究社檚 younger self is played by Jacob Elordi, the heartbreaker from 含羞草研究社淪altburn含羞草研究社� and Sofia Coppola含羞草研究社檚 Toronto-shot 含羞草研究社淧riscilla.含羞草研究社�

Elordi did not attend the Cannes premiere for 含羞草研究社淥h, Canada,含羞草研究社� because he was actually in Canada to shoot Guillermo del Toro含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淔rankenstein.含羞草研究社� Toronto fans have taken to social media in recent weeks to share sightings of the 含羞草研究社淓uphoria含羞草研究社� star.

It含羞草研究社檚 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: 含羞草研究社淪ome of which is antisemitism masking itself as political correctness.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淭hese people don含羞草研究社檛 have, really, skin in the game. They含羞草研究社檙e not going to get drafted. (Only) a handful of them are Palestinian,含羞草研究社� he says.

含羞草研究社淎 lot kids are just doing this cosplay. Cosplay revolutionaries. Let含羞草研究社檚 dress up. Let含羞草研究社檚 put the kaffiyeh on. Let含羞草研究社檚 shout. And then afterwards, let含羞草研究社檚 go to McDonald含羞草研究社檚.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 not the level of seriousness as it was with Vietnam 含羞草研究社� when people actually had skin in the game, when they were getting drafted and they were going (to war) and their friends were dying,含羞草研究社� he continues.

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

含羞草研究社淭he 含羞草研究社�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,含羞草研究社� he says.

含羞草研究社淚t was going in this other direction questioning the status quo support, order of how things are done in the world. And I don含羞草研究社檛 think that含羞草研究社檚 happened here.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社� Radheyan Simonpillai is a freelance writer based on Toronto

Radheyan Simonpillai, The Canadian Press