Ross McElwee's 'Remake' Examines Filmmaking Ethics After Son's Overdose
Ross McElwee's new documentary 'Remake' premieres at Film Forum in New York, confronting the 2016 fentanyl overdose death of his 27-year-old son Adrian. The film revisits McElwee's earlier works—'Sherman's March' (1986), 'In Paraguay' (1995), and 'Photographic Memory' (2011)—to examine how cinema mediated their father-son relationship. Structured in three sections, it traces Adrian's childhood, his turbulent adolescence, and his twenties marked by addiction, bipolar disorder, and rehab. McElwee's ethical self-scrutiny intensifies as he reveals that his filming contributed to his divorce from wife Marilyn. Adrian's own footage, including a planned documentary on America's drug problem, is incorporated. McElwee's new wife Hyun Kim, a filmmaker, refuses to be filmed, highlighting ongoing tensions. The film questions whether turning family life into public spectacle constitutes an abuse of power.
Key facts
- Ross McElwee's 'Remake' opens Friday at Film Forum in New York.
- The film centers on the death of McElwee's son Adrian from a fentanyl overdose in 2016 at age 27.
- McElwee re-edits footage from 'Sherman's March' (1986), 'In Paraguay' (1995), and 'Photographic Memory' (2011).
- 'In Paraguay' premiered at the 2008 Venice Film Festival but remains unreleased due to family privacy disputes.
- Adrian's footage includes a planned documentary on the American drug problem.
- McElwee's wife Marilyn sought divorce partly due to his filming at home.
- McElwee's new wife Hyun Kim refuses to be filmed on camera.
- The film is described as a 'total rewind' and a repudiation of family filmmaking.
Entities
Artists
- Ross McElwee
- Adrian McElwee
- Marilyn McElwee
- Hyun Kim
- Mariah McElwee
Institutions
- Film Forum
- Venice Film Festival
Locations
- New York
- North Carolina
- Boston
- Venice
- Italy