Killer of Sheep [1977]

The debut feature of African-American filmmaker Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep is considered a cornerstone in American independent filmmaking, and rightly so. Shot in static, grainy black-and-whites and made on weekends for a budget less than $10,000 during Burnett’s student days at UCLA, the film’s making reminded me a lot of Nolan’s impressive debut film Following. Filmed in a Los Angeles ghetto resided mostly by coloured Americans, the largely plot-less movie offers touching, lyrical vignettes of the poor and socially isolated community. The cinéma-vérité style adopted works beautifully as the director goes about observing (without ever examining or putting on trial) the mundane lives of the residents and the simple joys and tribulations therein, through our simple-natured protagonist Stan, the movie’s eponymous killer of sheep, his family, his friends and acquaintances, and his squalid neighbourhood. The most striking aspect about the film lies in its excellent juxtaposition of the unspectacular lives of the adults with the borderline delinquent activities of the children and adolescents. The poignant, bittersweet and humane work is provided a dose of subtle, wry irony through its beautiful jazz and blues soundtrack, and a host of nuanced performances.






Director: Charles Burnett
Genre: Drama/Urban Drama/Americana
Language: English
Country: US