”The Fuckee’s Hymn” evokes the figure of William Wilkerson, a Vietnam war veteran, a then young helicopter pilot whose decorations served to camouflage a blunder of the US army. The title is taken from one of the bawdy songs the filmmaker’s father liked to hum. But William Wilkerson is no longer there to sing, and it is his son who now recites the song in his inimitable bass voice, deep and scathing: “He stood on a steeple / And he pissed on the people / And the people couldn’t piss on him / Him. Fuck him.” The film attacks the mythification of the veteran, the decorations that turn savagery into heroism, the lethal power of stories that twist the truth of wars and transform them into an inexpiable burden. All that remains for this voice is to wander around woods visited by war images brought home and to disarm these
stories with the heart and with anger. – Antoine Thirion, Cinéma du Réel
“The bigger the fuck-up, the bigger the medal.” – Travis Wilkerson
Travis Wilkerson
USA/HR 2023 | German Premiere
62 min | English
Travis Wilkerson
Born 1969 in Denver, USA, grew up in the mountains of Colorado and Montana. He studied languages and literature before becoming a filmmaker. An encounter with the legendary Cuban filmmaker Santiago Alvarez influenced him significantly. Since then he has been making films in the tradition of the “Third Cinema”. Various publications and teaching activities on film at universities, most recently associate professor for documentary practices at Duke Kunshan University in China.
Films
An Injury to One 2002 | Who Killed Cock Robin? 2005 | Proving Ground 2009 | Distinguished Flying Cross 2011 | Far from Afghanistan 2012 (8. UX) | Machine Gun or Typewriter? 2015 (10. UX) | Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? 2017 | A Brief History of the Obliteration of Hope 2019 | Nuclear Family 2022 | The Fuckee’s Hymn 2023
Credits
R+K+T+S: Travis Wilkerson | M: Hellish Cashtrap | P: Creative Agitation