Killer of Sheep

Scenes from African-American life in the blighted community of Watts, Los Angeles, in the early 1970s. Writer-director Charles Burnett’s film was shot in 1972-’73 and served as his 1977 master’s project at the UCLA Film School. Since then it’s garnered a loyal following and a number of awards and honors, despite never getting general release. Now it’s been restored, and the music rights to Burnett’s eclectic soundtrack secured, and it’s finally playing in theaters. There’s no conventional story, it’s more a stream of impressionistic vignettes. Burnett has an eye for detail and an ear for dialogue with a sort of sidelong poetry; his words and images have a way of conveying more than the actors may know they’re saying or showing. It’s an unusual film, and calls for some patience, but it stays with you.