3 out of 5

Director: …buh?

Director commentaries, author’s lectures – they’re a mixed bag. At best they spark interest for those unfamiliar with the speaker, at worst they cover ..less.. than what could be assumed by watching a movie or reading a book. What Remains falls in the middleground, which is where a lot of biographical documentaries fall – interesting enough to watch or listen to for 80 minutes, maybe interesting enough to cause a wikipedia browse on the topic, but mostly designed for those who were already into the subject matter. Sally Mann is a talented photographer with a truly fascinating oeuvre – unflinching looks at childhood, life, and death, the frankness of which garnered her both positive attention and infamy. When “What Remains” is most compelling, no one’s talking to the camera. and we’re left to watch an artist at work, maybe understanding a little better how she sees the world, how she directly or indirectly influenced 2 girls and a son’s upbringing. But when it tries to shape a narrative direction by jumping lightly into biographical info, or having Mann speak about her work… she’s just a regular gal. Which is nice to see and hear, but, y’know, I already know some regular gals. While it’s much more home-made feeling, the director’s 30-minute short on the DVD, which was used as a primer for the film, covers the same info (some of the footage is actually reused) and in its compressed form is, for the casual viewer, perhaps just as informative.