New HBO doc about small American towns spotlights Eastport

Apr. 14—A documentary that premiered on HBO on Tuesday showcases small towns all across the U.S. — including, prominently, the town of Eastport.

"Our Towns," a feature-length documentary film directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher, is inspired by the book "Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America," written by James and Deborah Fallows.

Jordan and Ascher similarly traveled to a number of small cities and towns across the country, including San Bernardino, California; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Charleston, West Virginia; Bend, Oregon; Columbus, Mississippi; and Eastport, Maine.

As with the book, the idea behind the movie is to see what it is that makes small communities tick, and how they manage to survive or even thrive given sometimes seemingly insurmountable odds. For Eastport, in particular, the challenge the filmmakers spotlight is climate change, interviewing a 17-year-old lobsterman who is concerned about the future of his industry.

The film is available to watch now, on the HBOMax streaming app.