Killer of Sheep

A FILM BY Charles Burnett

An American masterpiece, independent to the bone.
-Manohla Dargis, NEW YORK TIMES
Miraculous.
-Michael Sragow, BALTIMORE SUN
... a milestone.
-Wesley Morris, BOSTON GLOBE
... see it again and again.
-Ann Hornaday, WASHINGTON POST
... a wonder.
-Ken Turan, LA TIMES
I think a strong case can be made that Charles Burnett is the most gifted and important black filmmaker this country has ever had.
-Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A masterpiece. One of the most insightful and authentic dramas about African-American life on film. One of the finest American films, period.
-Dave Kehr, INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

Synopsis

Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty: the warmth of a coffee cup against his cheek, slow dancing with his wife in the living room, holding his daughter. The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life... sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humor. Killer of Sheep was shot on location in Watts in a series of weekends on a budget of less than $10,000, most of which was grant money. Finished in 1977 and shown sporadically, its reputation grew and grew until it won a prize at the 1981 Berlin International Film Festival. Since then, the Library of Congress has declared it a national treasure as one of the first fifty on the National Film Registry.

Theatrical Release Date

Friday, June 29, 2007
Original Languages: English
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 83 min.
Year: 1977

CREDITS

CAST
Henry G. Sanders
Kaycee Moore
DIRECTED BY
Charles Burnett