Like many picturesque islands in New England, Block Island in the state of Rhode Island was once powered by fishing, but has come to be known as a venue for vast wealth and summer tourism. However, as the short film Small Hours (2022) captures, it’s still the working class that keeps life there afloat. The US director Charlie Weber’s film is akin to flipping through a photo-book focused on the experience of the hotel employees, restaurant servers and trail guides who make the island their seasonal home. Drifting between scenes featuring mostly young or foreign-born workers, and interspersed with images of old postcards, Weber’s free-flowing film draws out the motivations, pastimes and personalities of the people who make the laid-back island experience possible.

Via NoBudge