The content describes a film named “Through the Graves the Wind Is Blowing” directed by Travis Wilkerson that explores Split and Croatian history. The story unfolds as Ivan Perić, a local police officer, who after studying psychology, didn’t want to join the fishing or tourism industry, but ironically ends up investigating the murders of foreign tourists in his hometown. He plays the role under his real name in front of the camera of Travis Wilkerson.
In the film, Perić is seen visiting alleged crime scenes and explaining what’s known about the victims and the incidents, always with a small black notebook in his hand. For instance, an Italian named Fabio was pushed from a tower, while an Austrian named Michael was pierced by a spear. His reports form the fictional part of the film, which is a multi-layered essay.
The film is 84 minutes long and was made in the USA in 2024. It stars Ivan Perić, Travis Wilkerson, Matilda Jane Wilkerson, and Dalton Wilkerson. It has scheduled screenings on February 24th at 1:30 p.m. (Cubix 7), and on February 25th at 5:15 p.m. (Zoo Palast 2) and 10 p.m. (Cubix 7).
In the film, Wilkerson combines historical and personal elements, as he did in his previous work, “Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?” (2019). He introduces himself in the opening scene and admits that he initially planned to make a film about the disintegration of Yugoslavia, but ended up creating this one. The film, named after a line from Leonard Cohen’s song “The Partisan”, looks back to World War II when Croatia was an independent vassal state of Nazi Germany. It sheds light on the crimes committed by the Ustaše against the Jewish and Serbian population and the resistance of the partisans.
Throughout the film, Wilkerson speaks long voice-over texts and combines them with quiet shots of the city, such as various views of partisan monuments. When he describes the horror of Jasenovac, the largest extermination camp in the region, red streaks and circular shapes flicker on a white background, representing the checkerboard pattern of the Ustasha flag. Notably, a minimally varied pattern of this flag can also be found on today’s Croatian flag, highlighting the connection Wilkerson makes between past and present.
The director also traces the transformation of the Hajduk Split football club from a brave partisan team to one dominated by right-wing hooligans. He concludes that “Split is Hajduk and Hajduk is Split”, which is why it’s not surprising to find the city littered with swastikas and the Ustasha-U with a cross above it. In his own neighborhood, Wilkerson counts more than 200 neo-Nazi signs during a 26-minute walk.
The film is shot in elegant black and white, and it focuses less on the historical sights of Split and more on the now empty and spray-painted brutalist buildings from Yugoslavia. A collage of murals visualizes the Serbian-Croatian war, including questionable heroes and a grief-stricken Pope John Paul II, making the city on the Adriatic seem downright unsympathetic.
“Through the Graves the Wind Is Blowing” and Birgitte Stærmose’s “After War” are the only feature-length films at the 74th Berlinale about one of the successor states to Yugoslavia. Although productions from these countries have been more present and have received awards, it’s noteworthy that this time there are two foreign perspectives, both of which are formally impressive.
In the film, Perić, who speaks English, provides some relief with his dry, twisted murder stories. He also discusses issues such as the failure of authorities and the rude behavior of drunk holidaymakers. He admits that he can’t solve the murders because “Everybody hates the tourists.”
Travis Wilkerson may have unintentionally done his former place of residence a favor with the film. After watching the film, viewers may reconsider whether a vacation in Split is a good idea.