F*ck You, Flik – The Human Being Behind the Uniform

What does violence do to the people whose job it is to protect us?

In the four-part VRT documentary series Fck You, Flik*, police officers share experiences that changed their lives. Director Jan Verheyen aims to reveal the human beings behind the uniforms. Professors Sofie De Kimpe and Christophe Vandeviver broaden the discussion, addressing issues such as support, training and public trust. For VRT, this is where the series delivers its public-service value: bringing a difficult reality closer to viewers while creating room for context, understanding and debate.

Police officers managing a demonstration. An intervention from which a few seconds of footage end up circulating on social media. These are familiar images, yet they rarely tell the full story of the people involved. Why did they choose this profession? What do they experience? And what stays with them when they take off their uniforms?

The Human Being Behind the Uniform

For director Jan Verheyen, the series began with the book of the same name, which unexpectedly arrived in his letterbox. The testimonies deeply affected him.

“I found those stories deeply moving. I was also surprised and outraged. How is it possible that I knew nothing about this?”

The series consists of four episodes. The first explores violence during demonstrations and the dynamics of crowds. The second focuses on shooting incidents and the consequences of decisions made under extreme pressure. The following episodes examine the difficulties of holding perpetrators of violence accountable, as well as the administrative, medical and legal processes that victims must navigate.

Verheyen also wanted the officers to talk about their personal lives and what originally motivated them to join the police force. Why did they become police officers? What did they hope to contribute through their work? Their answers were sometimes surprising, sometimes deeply relatable.

“I believe you can help viewers develop empathy by showing these people as more than just victims. That is why we also ask them why they joined the police. It allows us to see them as real human beings. People like you and me, who get up every morning and go to work.”

Copyright © VRT

Production Credits

Director: Jan Verheyen
Production Company: Lecter Media, commissioned by VRT
Producer: Steffi Abrams
Post-production Producer: Hannelore Samyn

Crew

Cinematography / Camera: Lou Berghmans (SBC)
Second Camera Operator: Sam Van Roosbroeck
Sound: Siska De Beule
Editor: Tomas Willemen

This four-part documentary series is partly based on the book Fck You, Flik* by Vincent Gilles and Vincent Houssin, published by Lannoo.

Special thanks to: Stijn Pauwels and Ronny Van Peer.