What is it like to grow up in a fishing community where a man’s worth is more often defined by strength than not? And are the lobsters this community revolves around a symbolic representation of life on the shore? Pete Muller navigates such questions in the documentary Bucks Harbor, his feature directorial debut, world premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama Dokumente section on Saturday, Feb. 14.
The doc, produced by 2 Wolves Films, promises to contrast natural beauty with human challenges, wariness, and even ugliness.
“Downeast Maine is a narrow stretch of rugged coastline chiselled between the forest and the sea. Here, boys are shaped by the brutal winters, their harvesting of the ocean’s bounty and the rigid codes of their fathers,” reads a synopsis for the film. “Bucks Harbor explores the inner lives of these fishermen, young and old, and the emotional complexity of growing up in a community where a man’s worth is often defined by the strength of his back. The lobsters they hunt, deep on the ocean floor, serve as a metaphor for the adversity, survival and guarded vulnerability on land.”
Muller handled cinematography for the movie with Nathan Golon and Mark Unger, while editing comes courtesy of Noel Paul. Muller, Golon and Paul also share the producer credits, with Kaitlin Yarnall and Greg Moga serving as executive producers, and Jake and Morgan Patryn as co-producers.
Muller previously co-produced the doc The First Wave, following nurses, doctors, and administrators in a New York City hospital as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also a visual artist, he uses photography, film and other media “to examine issues related to masculinities, conflict and human ecology,” according to a bio. “From 2005 to 2020, he was based in the Middle East and Africa where he explored conflict dynamics in post-colonial environments.”
THR can now exclusively premiere a trailer for the doc. Are you ready to dive into Bucks Harbor and meet some of the men of different ages in the local community? If so, check out the trailer below.
