Early 1970s: Stan works in a slaughterhouse in Watts, a deprived black neighbourhood in the south of Los Angeles. He finds his job – slaughtering sheep – repulsive and, worse still, it numbs him. In the evenings, he comes home utterly exhausted, but he tries to keep his spirits up, just like his wife. Every now and then, friends drop by, and he has a chat with the neighbours whilst the children are playing.
This cinéma-vérité-style film, with which director Charles Burnett graduated from the UCLA film school, has no linear plot or overarching narrative, but consists of a whole series of separate scenes that paint a vivid picture of life in Watts in the 1970s. In the film, Burnett used music for which he was unable to pay the rights. The film therefore never had an official release, but thanks to ‘underground’ screenings, he still managed to make a name for himself. This black-and-white film, shot on 16mm, was rarely screened in the Netherlands, but can now be seen in this digitally restored version.
Killer of Sheep
Expected
26 Nov 2026
Directed by
Charles Burnett
Language
Engels
Origin
Verenigde Staten, 1978
Viewing guide
An influential classic from the 1970s centred on the everyday struggles of Stan, a man who lives and works with his wife and children in a deprived neighbourhood in LA.