Killer of Sheep

Shot on location in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles in the early ’70s, Killer of Sheep tells the neo-realist tale of Stan, an African-American man numbed by the pressure of life in the ghetto and his slaughterhouse job. Director Charles Burnett’s movie is also widely considered one of the finest examinations of children’s reaction to crushing, inner-city poverty. Because Burnett never secured the rights to all the songs comprising his film’s score, the sublime Killer of Sheep never had a commercial release; in fact, during the past thirty years, it has become a well-known but ultimately hidden treasure. It was one of the first fifty films placed on the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress and proclaimed one of the hundred all-time greatest movies by the National Film Critics Circle. This long overdue theatrical release is not to be missed. 612-825-6006; www.landmarktheatres.com