Killer Of Sheep
What:
Killer Of Sheep (1977)
When:
Fri Feb 1 to Sun Feb 3
Where:
First Look at ACMI
Watch the trailer:
Here
Or visit the official site:
Here
Win:
We have 3 double passes to give away. To enter, email win@threethousand.com.au with the subject line ‘Go rob a damn liquor store'
You're all watching HBO's The Wire, right? If not, go and watch the first four seasons. We'll wait.
Right. Now you have an excuse to watch some of its obvious stylistic influences like Charles Burnett's legendary Killer Of Sheep. Made for less than $10,000 in 1977, it's a rough, poetic depiction of life in Watts, Los Angeles - the kind of neighbourhood where the response to a request for a few bucks is "Go rob a damn liquor store."
It uses its music strikingly - for mood, for authenticity, for cruel irony - but as the rights were never secured, the film has been unavailable for decades. This very limited release cuts both ways: you finally get to see it in all its glory, but will need to use a different movie to flaunt your obscure-film credibility.
There's no real story, no beginning or end. Only amateur actors in haunting small moments: like melancholic Stan, slow dancing with his wife until she notices his blank expression and realises he's barely even in the room. It's heartbreaking.
(Also: abattoir scenes are just as difficult to watch in black-and-white as they are in gruesome colour.)
Format: Cinema
Mood: Nostalgic
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