"You don't need to have watched Ross McElwee's films over the years in order to be moved by Remake, in which his ongoing saga of art and life collides in freshly shattering ways with the unlikely prospect of a Hollywood deal and the unthinkable death of his son Adrian. But if you have been following along (or catching up) with his journey from Sherman's March through to Photographic Memory, the personal loss can all feel that much more poignant, as if you know him personally."
"Tonally alone a work of understated brilliance, Remake draws on easily his most wrenching subject matter: McElwee's son died at age 27 on Christmas Eve 2016 after years of struggles with drug use. But the filmmaker's thoughtful, tender, and searching approach keeps the film from being an exercise in darkness or regret, though there is plenty of the latter."
Remake juxtaposes an ongoing saga of art and life with the unlikely prospect of a Hollywood remake and the devastating death of the filmmaker's son, Adrian. The film uses an essayistic voice and voiceover to render intimate material with compassion, self-deprecating humor, and searching reflection. The filmmaker balances the absurdity of a producer wanting to remake Sherman's March with deep questions about how his work may have affected Adrian, who emerges as a natural chronicler. Narrative detours through earlier projects and Photographic Memory lead into grief and reflection, resulting in a co-edited film praised as one of the year's best documentaries.
Read at Filmmaker Magazine
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