Ross McElwee’s ‘Remake’ explores filmmaking, grief and guilt after his son’s death

Ross McElwee’s latest documentary, Remake, grew from the filmmaker’s struggle to watch old footage of his son, Adrian, after Adrian died at the age of 27. McElwee had recorded him for a few minutes each month, following him from infancy into adulthood.

The footage had originally been part of McElwee’s practice of turning home movies into films involving himself, his friends and his son. After Adrian’s death, however, the recordings acquired a different meaning. McElwee revisits them as evidence of a life that has ended and as material that prompts questions about his own role as a father and filmmaker.

In the documentary, McElwee addresses Adrian as though he were still present. He says he watches the footage both to convince himself that Adrian was alive and to convince himself that he is gone. The film therefore combines personal mourning with an examination of the real-world consequences of filmmaking.

The project began when McElwee finally returned to the clips he had previously found difficult to watch. The supplied account describes Remake as a film about filmmaking, loss, grief and guilt, while noting that it was not a picture McElwee would have chosen to make.