Remake. 2025. USA. Directed by Ross McElwee. New York premiere. DCP. 116 min.
A true luminary of documentary filmmaking—and American independent cinema—Ross McElwee has never shied away from baring elements of his life that others might find too intimate or raw. With Remake, his first new film in 14 years, McElwee directly confronts the unspeakable trauma of a parent losing their child. While at its core an intimate, anguished tribute to McElwee’s son Adrian, who passed away in 2016, the film doubles as a moving retrospective consideration of the filmmaker’s career—including the ill-fated attempt to adapt his nonfiction opus Sherman’s March into a narrative feature. Incorporating material captured across decades, including footage shot by Adrian himself, Remake is a poignant culmination of a practice that has bravely and boldly deconstructed distinctions between life and art.