Ross McElwee's "Sherman's March"

Viewers of McElwee's "Sherman's March" might be confused about the film based solely on the beginning with a brief historical introduction of Sherman. After a few moments, McElwee takes over the narration and the rest of the film is about him with bits and pieces of Sherman throughout. While McElwee mostly stayed in the South, more or less tracing Sherman's march through South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, Sherman did not seem to be his driving force. The film became an autobiographical story about McElwee who was on a mission of his own. We, as viewers, followed McElwee as he traveled from place to place, from one woman to another. Women became his driving force. There were moments during the film that made me feel uncomfortable - he was a bit creepy sometimes. Perhaps that has to do more with my own identity and sense of self in relation to the person McElwee was portraying on the screen. While McElwee was filming his own adventures through the South, perhaps he was identifying with Sherman by creating his own parallel journey.