Belfast, Maine

Belfast is a small, picturesque coastal town in New England, with a few thousand inhabitants. The microcosm that Wiseman shows us in his 30th film, includes fishing off the coast, natural life, and the town’s pretty architecture, but also the production of a wide variety of food products (including monotonous assembly line work, again and again) and caring for the sick and older members of the population. The scene in which a teacher gives a rousing lecture, in which he explains to his students why "Moby Dick" is a key work about the US and the American Dream, is unforgettable. BELFAST, MAINE is without doubt one of the creative pinnacles of Wiseman's oeuvre. He said that he wanted to approch life in the small town by filming the churches and factories, as well as hunting and described the film as a synthesis of all his films. (hb)