Killer of Sheep

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The story behind the movie is pretty interesting. It was shot over 30 years ago as a student film, on a small budget. Due to (I believe) rights issues with the music, it was never really exhibited, except at the occasional film festival. Until this last year, when it was released proper, and now it's being hailed by some as a masterpiece. Not bad for a black and white student film.

This is the kind of movie I appreciated more than I actually enjoyed. There's not a plot, it's a cheaply but confidently made film that's basically just a collection of small moments of life in the ghetto. Since it's such a low budget film, it has the kind of actors who aren't always very good at their line readings, but also look and poise themselves more realistically than in most films. Some of it is perfect, insightful, hits just the right notes, but a lot of it is so simple and true to life that it's mundane. It feels a little bit too much like a chore to watch at times.

Multiple viewings of this would probably help. I sense a lot of care in the construction of the film, and I suspect a lot of the smaller moments will have more resonance the more you focus on them.