Killer of Sheep

Opens Friday 20 June

'Killer of Sheep, the least-known great modern movie from the United States' - Alex Cox, Sight & Sound

'A supremely moving piece of African-American cinematic poetry.' - John Patterson, The Guardian

Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is becoming increasingly detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse. Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty: the warmth of a coffee cup against his cheek, slow dancing to the radio with his wife, holding his daughter.

With a magnificent blend of pop, jazz and blues, Killer of Sheep gains more lyricism from Burnett's carefully selected soundtrack, often contrasting the beauty of the music of Dinah Washington, George Gershwin, Etta James, Earth, Wind & Fire, or Rachmaninov with the gritty realism of what's shown on screen.

The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life - sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humour.

12 - 13 August

• Dartington, The Barn

19 August

• Berkhamsted, The Rex Cinema

22 - 25 August

• Edinburgh, Filmhouse

27 - 28 August

• Leeds, Hyde Park Picturehouse

30 August - 3 September

• Dundee Contemporary Arts

31 August

• London, Phoenix East Finchley

4 September

• Liverpool, Picturehouse at FACT

1 - 2 October

• Bracknell, South Hill Park Arts Centre

8 October

• London, Riverside Studios Hammersmith

14 - 16 October

• Inverness, Eden Court

16 October

• Ludlow Assembly Rooms

22 - 23 October

• Gloucester, Guildhall Arts Centre
• Croydon, David Lean Cinema

10 November

• Louth, Playhouse Cinema

What's on search