"Remake" REVIEW

Published on 8/18/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Ross  McElwee 

Cast: ... 

Plot: Ross McElwee explores time and memory through footage of his son Adrian, weaving their shared filmmaking past with an unfinished Hollywood remake of Sherman's March, creating a meditation on loss and documentation. 

REVIEW 

I was introduced to the work of documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee through The Belcourt Theatre, Nashville's beloved local arthouse theater where I spend a majority of moviegoing dollars, when they programmed McElwee's most famous doc "Sherman's March"—a strange, off-kilter nearly three-hour documentary following a 38-year-old Ross McElwee's odyssey across the American South, his encounters with several women in and out of his life, and his unique relationship with the camera. Weeks after seeing that film, the prospect of a brand-new McElwee film greatly interested me but I can't say that I expected this film to hold as much power as it did. This is a film that deeply impacted me on many levels, the type of film that's breadth of intimacy alone left me emotionally startled. Through the dynamic of McElwee's outlook on life via the lenses of cameras, as well as his son Adrian McElwee's footage as a filmmaker, as a viewer we're invited behind closed doors into a three-decade-long father-and-son relationship—watching the changes over Adrian's life as his mental health deteriorates and addictions take over, ultimately leading to his death at twenty-seven years old. As such an intimate look into the lives of Ross and Adrian, bountiful chords of the human experience are struck. The psychology of these two McElwee men, their relationships, and their respective passions and struggles are fascinating to examine—yet at the same time, you can't fully breathe the film in without feeling. Tears can't fall without feeling, and watching the real lives and real struggles on display in this film, tears and heartbreak are inevitable. While I'm not going through the same mental strains and addictions as he was, I felt a painful sense of relatability to both of the film's subjects—Adrian's rough path of growing up from a wonder-filled child to someone who doesn't entirely realize where their issues stem from as there's only mental patterns to point back to and Ross's need to experience life through what he understands. Edited over the course of the last ten years or so, Ross McElwee's personal grief and desire to understand someone he loves speaks volumes to whoever listens. His filmmaking voice is stronger than ever, as he explicitly states his passion and will to capture life is as confused as ever. This is an emotionally staggering, extraordinary feat of filmmaking that won't leave my mind and heart any time soon. "Remake" is one of the most moving documentaries I've ever seen. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• Ross McElwee's direction. His form of filmmaking is wholly his own, and it's a joy to see such a singular voice at its most impactful. 

• The editing. Cutting together hours upon hours of footage shot over the past three decades alongside footage from "Sherman's March" and other McElwee films is no easy feat, especially when that footage is as personal as it is. If anything, this film is an achievement in editing. 

• The screenplay. When it comes to documentaries, screenplays aren't as commonly discussed, and that's often a shame. With Ross McElwee's style, scriptwriting is significant because of how prevalent his narration is. In this film, McElwee's narration's is as heart wrenchingly honest as it can be without ever losing his signature off-beatness. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• Nothing notable. 

RATING

9/10

It's a must see documentary, buddy!