Killer of Sheep
Composite Score: 86.53
Starring: Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry, Jack Drummond, and Delores Farley
Director: Charles Burnett
Writer: Charles Burnett
Genres: Drama, Slice of Life
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: $468,460 worldwide
My take on Watching This Film:
Killer of Sheep is Charles Burnett’s feature directorial debut, which he also wrote, shot, produced, and edited, presenting the film as his Masters thesis at UCLA. It focuses on the daily life of an African American family living in the inner city of Los Angeles, starring Henry G. Sanders as Stan, the family’s father, Kaycee Moore as his wife, Angela Burnett as their daughter, and Jack Drummond as their son. The film plays out as a series of loosely connected vignettes that do more to tell the truth about life in the inner city and life in poverty in the U.S. than they do to develop any specific story or characters. Stan works at a sheep slaughterhouse (hence the film’s title), and his low wages force a series of odd circumstances on him and his friends, which are intercut with footage of Stan’s children living their lives with a bit more innocence and joy, despite their circumstances. With music from a plethora of artists throughout African American recording history, it feels like an indie classic that seeks to tell a universal story about poverty, blackness, and the inner cities of America.
Burnett certainly succeeds in that aim, with each vignette and the music that plays behind it feeling authentic, intentional, and raw, almost like a documentary more than a narrative feature. The locations feel lived-in because they are; the characters seem authentic because they come out of real people, and the themes remain universal because the circumstances that led to them haven’t really changed all that much. While not wholly unique in its style, the substance underneath it remains unique and true to the director himself and the story that he wanted to portray, and for that reason, it’s a feat worth celebrating. At the same time, it won’t be a film that everyone wants to watch, follow, or engage with. It requires some buy-in to the concept and the themes to really grasp what’s being portrayed, and the lack of an overarching central narrative can be particularly difficult for audiences accustomed to the more typical narrative feature. Still, the realness and raw nature of the film and its characters make it one worth checking out.
In Killer of Sheep, Charles Burnett delivers a true indie darling, worthy of the name, in its raw portrayal of life and characters in Los Angeles’s inner city, the dehumanizing nature of poverty, and the undeniable drive of humanity to maintain their dignity in the midst of what society wants to consider humiliating circumstances. It’s not the most narratively engaging film, but its themes remain poignant, and its style continues to impress. It is currently not streaming anywhere, but you can look for physical copies online or at a local library if you’d like to check it out in the near future.
