The Cinematheque

“But for the great sadness contained within Remake, McElwee isn’t a trite or sensationalist filmmaker … Poignant and precise, [and] masterfully edited by the legendary Joe Bini, known for his collaborations with Lynne Ramsay, Laura Poitras, and Werner Herzog.”

Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

In the 40 years since Sherman’s March, Ross McElwee has continued to record his life, particularly the moments that float independently of any devised plan for a film. This tendency—and its capacity for both diaristic digressions and sharp, succinct portraits—is shattered at the tragic outset of his new film Remake. His son has died of an overdose. McElwee also shares that he and his wife have agreed to divorce, and that, in the years leading up to these devastating events, both family members, as well as his adopted daughter, have expressed a strong reluctance to appear on camera. Disoriented, McElwee traces two paths, each with their discomforts and revealing contrasts. Prompted by a producer’s interest in the fictional remake rights to Sherman’s March, he reconnects with the film’s subjects; he also examines his son’s own video-making (of skiing, self-doubt, and partying), the hard limits of what he can hold onto in the footage, and the tensions, as a father, that he cannot explain away.

“[McElwee’s] latest documentary Remake is his most impactful yet: the culmination of a lifetime of wrestling with the cinema of the self.”

Matt Turner, MUBI Notebook

“Stunning … Lovelorn, thoughtful, and deeply moving, this is a film you’ll really want to talk about.”

Phil de Semlyen, Time Out