Ross McElwee is a filmmaker who makes personal documentaries and in Bright Leaves he explores the ways that history, memory and family interact. While at first it seems rambling and random, all of the pieces start to knit together surprisingly well as we go on a journey with the filmmaker as he talks with friends and family to find out if there was a Hollywood version of his family history. It’s hard to describe, but it somehow manages to link together everything in an apparently effortless style. McElwee combines the personal, the historical and political in an endearing style that made me think about how we define our families, ourselves and how we deal with moral issues and personal responsibility.
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