Barge (2015)

Barge: Directed by Ben Powell. Dry land’s misfits find purpose and direction twenty-eight days at a time as the steady hands of a towboat due for the port of New Orleans. From a green deckhand following his father and grandmother into the family business, to a former convict working his way to First Mate, job by job – as long as the boat’s moving, they’re making money.

“This film won the Grand Jury Prize for documentaries at the Dallas International Film Festival. It focus on the individual stories of crew members operating up and down the lower Mississippi River as they load on, lash together, and then drop off, loads of grain, coal and other commodities. Each person has a story to tell as to why the have chosen this life, which takes them away from home for 28 days at a stretch through anniversaries, kids activities, and other events. Yet, someone with only a high school education, and even a criminal record, can work their way up to a six figure salary.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGreat cinematography focusing on an life unknown to most people. The slow pace of the film reflects the slow movement of the barge, but yet it is never dull.”