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Synopsis:
Welldigger, a seriocomic tale of capitulation and redemption, follows the exploits of two homeless bohemians struggling to survive a Chicago winter and reclaim their lives. Fiko (Philip Fagan) is a failed artist of minor cult status and an "ex" in every way: Ex-carny, ex-military, ex-writer/filmmaker, estranged husband and ex-bon vivant, whose free-wheeling romantic vision of life has seemingly fled with all other good things, leaving him bitter and depressed. Ravaged by hard living and rapidly approaching middle age, he begins to acknowledge his mental, physical and spiritual malaise, his many failures and regrets, his loneliness and alienation, and the metaphorical well he has dug for himself. His friendship with the wily, experienced street person Matthew (John Rinkenberger) is necessary for survival but emotionally unhealthy, while his wife Cassandra (Sherry D.) has moved on since their last split in New Orleans, unaware that he is even in the same city as he stalks her.
As Fiko's only steadfast companion, Chicago native Matthew is a decade younger and regards his older pal alternately as respected mentor and scorned loser. Although essentially penniless, jobless, and homeless, the two men insist on spending the little resources they have on maintaining their reputations as literary hobo hipsters. Matthew is quite content with their Beat/ punk-rock/ couch-surfing lifestyle, while Fiko begins to see it as altogether unfulfilling. Theirs is a sycophantic relationship: Fiko needs the street-smart and surly Matthew in order to survive the brutal winter and is also trying to save him somehow, while Matthew reaps the benefits of Fiko's minor celebrity and kindness to others.
The film explores the dark side of the fantasy that is art, the limitations of art as religion; and the fine line between capitulation and Aselling out. When is it no longer possible to change the direction of one's life? When does one become unwilling to change, despite horrible consequences? At what fateful moment does joyful youth give way to responsible, and often bitter, adulthood? Welldigger looks lovingly to the Beat tradition while exploring the inherent limits of its appeal and ideology.
The eclectic soundtrack features freak-folk duo Faun Fables (Drag City Records) and a performance by legendary Beat composer David Amram.
