Killer of Sheep

"Killer of Sheep" (1977): With all of the beauty and unflinching, raw honesty of Vittorio Di Sicca's "The Bicycle Thief," Charles Burnett's glimpse at the black struggle in the inner city is a true classic. Filmed in stark black and white, Burnett creates an emotionally deep ... moreportrait of Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders), a family man struggling to overcome poverty as he works at a slaughterhouse. The stress of his life has robbed him of his passion for his wife, and the worries of the world weigh heavily on his shoulders. "I'm working myself into my own hell," explains Stan. But rather than unfolding like a traditional narrative, "Killer of Sheep" comes across like an extremely intimate documentary, as Burnett weaves a powerful tapestry of desperation and hope, stark ugliness and simple beauty, creating a unique glimpse at the human experience. This is easily the most real and truthful depiction of black life in the ghetto, stripped of all stereotypes and replaced with unwavering honesty, and a perfect companion film to "Nothing but a Man." The DVD also features two versions of Burnett's compelling 1984 film, "My Brother's Wedding," a bittersweet look at the squandered life of a black man. (Milestone Film & Video/Courtesy Everett Collection)