Distinguished Flying Cross

USA / 2011 / English / Color / Video / 62 min
Director: Travis Wilkerson

A man in the twilight of his years, who served as a helicopter combat in the Vietnam War, spiritedly recounts his experiences. Listening to his recollections are his two adult sons, sitting on either side of him. His war stories, told humorously as reckless shenanigans, gradually change in tone to the viewer’s eyes as they unfold within a frame composition reminiscent of religious painting and novel-like chapters. Weaving in color film shot by soldiers on the battlefield and lively pop music that might have been heard there then, the growing dissonance with the man’s tales reverberates throughout this cinematic adventure. From the director of Accelerated Development—In the Idiom of Santiago Alvarez which screened at YIDFF ’99. Appearances are by the director, his father and younger brother.

• Oct. 7 CL | Oct. 8 A6