Night Labor

Sherman Frank Merchant, a forty-six year old 6'6" Downeaster transitions from being an independent and rugged clam digge... (more)

Sherman Frank Merchant, a forty-six year old 6'6" Downeaster transitions from being an independent and rugged clam digger by day to manning a factory at night. With his white smock, arsenal of knives, and signature black beret, Sherman performs the tasks of preparing and arranging tools for the day laborers who arrive to their 6am shift.. NIGHT LABOR is an intimate experience of what the film critic J. Hoberman calls "situation documentary," a blending of minimally structured narratives with documentary moments and long takes that elide conventional narrative and plot in favor of mood, lyrical entertainment, and banal mystery. A beautifully photographed story that fuses drama and tension in the mundane sensory experiences of work, ultimately relying on cinema's most basic powerful elements: image and sound.. Special Jury Prize, Visions du Reel. "Though it chronicles a quotidian workday, every shot of David Redmon and Ashley Sabin's Night Labor is an opportunity for revelation." - Film Comment. "Night Labor is a lingeringly powerful film - the perfect capper to an enjoyably discombobulating day at RIDM." - Adam Nayman, POV Magazine. (less)