Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?
Description
“In 1946, my great-grandfather murdered a black man named Bill Spann and got away with it.” So begins Travis Wilkerson’s critically acclaimed documentary, DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?, which takes us on a journey through the American South to uncover the truth behind a horrific incident and the societal mores that allowed it to happen. Acting as narrator and guide, Wilkerson spins a strange, frightening tale, incorporating scenes from To Kill a Mockingbird, the music of Janelle Monáe and Phil Ochs, and the story of Rosa Parks’ investigation into the Recy Taylor case, as well as his own family history, for a gripping investigation into our collective past and its echoes into the present day.
Reviews
“An urgent, often corrosive look at America’s past and present through the prism of family, patriarchy, white supremacy and black resistance.”
— Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
“Extraordinary. Travis Wilkerson’s fusion of personal, historical, and investigative filmmaking…is among the best documentaries in recent years.”
— Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“It’s hard to experience DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN? and not get shivers up your spine.”
— BIlge Ebiri, The Village Voice
