Killer of Sheep

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Killer of Sheep is a 1978 American drama film edited, filmed, written, produced, and directed by Charles Burnett. Shot primarily in 1972 and 1973, it was originally submitted by Burnett to the UCLA School of Film in 1977 as his Master of Fine Arts thesis. The film depicts the daily life of Stan, a weary slaughterhouse worker struggling to maintain his humanity while providing for his family amidst the poverty of 1970s Watts. Rather than following a traditional linear plot, Killer of Sheep is composed of a series of vignettes that capture the rhythms of working-class life, childhood innocence, and the systemic frustrations of the urban environment. Critic Dana Stevens described its plot as "a collection of brief vignettes which are so loosely connected that it feels at times like you're watching a non-narrative film." Shot in black and white, the film's style is often likened to Italian neorealism. There are no acts, plot arcs or character development, as conventionally defined. The cast...

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