Film

Charles Burnett - Killer of Sheep

By Friction ⋅ August 8, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Still from Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep is one of the best films I have seen. I laughed, I cried, I was fed beautiful images.

The story is based on the lives of Black people who live in a lower middle class neighborhood, Watts in Los Angeles in the 1970’s. The central character works in a slaughterhouse - killing sheep.

if you are looking for a shoot em up gangster stylee ghetto film forget it. This film is heavily influenced by French New wave filmmakers. It is based more on the emotions generated, and amazing visuals. What you get is the community spirit of ordinary Black folks, the way children play and how someone can keep a relationship and raise a family when earning a pittance at a miserable job. He does not revert to crime to subsidise his income even when invited to do so by friends.

What I loved about this film is that it did not problematise poor black people. They were not dysfunctional and criminal. The pace of the film was languid giving one time to get into the mood of the neighborhood and the relationship between the people.
it was shot for only $10,000 and is even more remarkable for that.

It deserves it’s place as a National Treasure in the Library of Congress

Tags: African American film, Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep