Jacob Elordi is absent as Oh Canada receives a standing ovation at Cannes

Paul Schrader was in tears when his new film “Oh, Canada” received a four-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday night.

Jacob Elordi was noticeably absent from the premiere, perhaps because he is filming Guillermo del Toro's “Frankenstein,” in which he plays the monster. After the applause ended, Schrader addressed Elordi for not being there, saying: “I'm very happy with Richard, Uma and Jake – not here with us – and it all worked out. I'm very happy to be back here on the Croisette.”

Elordi, whose star continues to rise after acclaimed roles in “Saltburn” and “Priscilla,” made his debut at Cannes last year in Sean Price Williams’ “The Sweet East.”

The drama tells the life story of troubled writer Leonard Fife, who at the end of his life contemplates his decision to flee to Canada to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War. Richard Gere plays the present-day Leonard, while Elordi inhabits the younger character. The cast includes Uma Thurman, Victoria Hale, Michael Imperioli, Penelope Mitchell, and Christine Froseth.

Schrader, 77, was previously on the Croisette for the 1976 film “Taxi Driver,” for which he wrote the screenplay. The film went on to win the festival's prestigious Palme d'Or award. His 1985 directorial effort Mishima: A Life in Four Acts premiered in competition at Cannes, and he returned again in 1988 for Patty Hearst.

In a recent interview with diverse Of “Oh, Canada,” Schrader said that making the film made him look back on his own life. He added: “My health was not good.” “I thought if I wanted to make a movie about my death, I should do it now.”

Gere, who previously worked with Schrader on the 1980s film “American Gigolo,” has been to Cannes several times over his decades-long career, including Akira Kurosawa's “Rhapsody in August,” which is honored on the official poster For the festival this year.