‘I look at the footage to convince myself that you were alive’: how Ross McElwee made a film about unimaginable loss, grief and guilt
When his son died aged 27, the director could barely bring himself to watch his old clips of the boy. When at last he did, it was the genesis of an extraordinary project
TL;DR
- Ross McElwee's documentary 'Remake' is about his son Adrian, who died at 27 from a fentanyl overdose.
- The film was initially conceived as a documentary about adapting McElwee's 1986 film 'Sherman's March' for Hollywood.
- McElwee uses 'Remake' to confront his grief, guilt, and the ethical implications of filming his son from infancy to adulthood.
- He explores the tension between his responsibilities as a parent and as an artist, questioning if his filmmaking negatively impacted Adrian.
- The documentary also revisits Charleen Swansea, a character from 'Sherman's March,' who is now suffering from dementia, highlighting themes of memory and disappearance.
- McElwee questions whether Adrian would have approved of 'Remake' and if his films had a corrosive effect on his son.
- The film touches on the idea that a film is never truly finished, as the 'Sherman's March' remake is presented in various evolving forms within 'Remake'.