Belfast, Maine

The documentary follows daily life in Belfast, an old port town on the coast of New England. The camera works without commentary, without a narrator and without interviews; it records only people’s work and the town’s own rhythm. Lobstermen, tugboat crews, factory workers, shopkeepers, council members, doctors, judges, police officers, teachers, social workers, nurses and ministers stand side by side in the film. A choir rehearsal, a dance class, music lessons and a theatre production are part of the same daily round. Frederick Wiseman’s two hundred and forty eight minute American documentary was completed in 1999 and is one of his portraits of institutions.