Sherman's March

McElwee is such an innocently mediocre, yet comedic filmmaker, which makes people want to see a film about his life. In the film Sherman’s March, he started out with the initial goal of creating a film documenting General Sherman’s march to the south, and ended up with a personal documentary about his search for romance and love following the same path as Sherman from Boston down south. It isn’t just a documentary about his life; it is a story about finding true love. His is deterred from his original mission when he stops in New York and his girlfriend breaks up with him. Overcome with sadness and grief, McElwee sets out on a new mission to see if he can find love in the south, meeting several old friends along the way. 

Sherman’s March is different than any other documentary that I have watched. The filming style is unique and one would think that you would get bored watching a story about an average guy traveling down south, but it is actually entertaining to watch. This film expresses the idea that it does not take much to produce a documentary. Sure, McElwee’s story was unique but anyone with a camera has the capability to make a personal documentary about their insights and exploits. It just depends on the writer’s commitment to the project as to whether or not it is going to be successful. It is basically McElwee’s positive outlook and intriguing personality that makes him a charismatic protagonist in his personal documentary. His commitment, philosophy, and personality combined ultimately gained him success in the film.