Killer of Sheep (1978)

The clock reads 4:00AM, and you have awoken 30 minutes before your alarm is set to go off. You reach over to turn it off and catch a glimpse of your lover quietly resting beside you. As you walk down the hall, you hear the gentle snoring of your children who are both dreaming of things you will never know or see. You look outside your window to the neighborhood of Watts, Los Angeles and it looks like it’ll be a few more hours before the sun shows itself to this side of the world. So you take in what remains of the morning before you have to head into work at the local slaughterhouse, while the coffee and cigarettes help little, if at all, to dull the ennui of both yesterday and today.

 

Charles Burnett’s efforts to depict a day in the life of an African-American family living in the Watts area of Los Angeles during the 1970’s has proven to be one of the most authentic depictions of the struggles, hopes, and dreams that one comes face to face with while finding themselves trapped within the confines of poverty. The end result of this film provides a timeless series of vignettes that lends introspection into the mind of someone who must not only balance their family’s needs along with their own, but also fend off the malicious influences that are constantly knocking at one’s door, seeking to exploit and endanger the lives of those who are entrusted to them.

 

As always, thank you to everyone who supports the show. We hope you enjoy the discussion and it’s a great pleasure for us to share a movie like this with all of you.

 

Where to watch:

Unfortunately, this movie is not readily available to stream in the US. If you’re in no way feeling sheepish at all, then uhhh… we’re sure you’ll be able to find a copy of it somewhere.

 

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