American documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee finds himself in frequent conflict with his son, who is no longer the delightful child the father loved, but an argumentative young adult who inhabits virtual worlds available through the internet. To the father, the son seems to be addicted to and permanently distracted by those worlds.
The filmmaker undertakes a journey to St. Quay-Portrieux in Brittany where he worked for a spring as a wedding photographer’s assistant at age 24 – slightly older than his son is now. He has not been back to St. Quay since that visit, and hopes to gain some perspective on what his own life was like when he was his son’s age.
He also hopes to track down his former employer, a fascinating Frenchman named Maurice, and Maud, a woman with whom he was romantically involved during that spring 38 years ago. Photographic Memory is a meditation on the passing of time, the praxis of photography and film, digital versus analog, and the fractured love of a father for his son.
Director: Ross McElwee
Producers: French Connection Films, St. Quay Films
Year: 2011
Length: 84 minutes
Languages: English, French
Partners: CNC (French Film Board), Procirep/ANGOA, Département des Côtes d’Armor, Pannonia Foundation
Broadcasters: Arte
Official Selection
Cinema du Réel Paris 2012
BAFICI 2012
Venice Film Festival
2011
Doclisboa Film Festival (Portugal)
2011
Copenhagen Film Festival 2011
Mar Del Plata Film Festival 2011
English
Français