Emotive Camerawork Tells the Story

http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/1226/

Killer of Sheep had a few strikes against it when I sat down to watch it. I was under the impression the film would follow an experimental structure and form and ignore narrative storytelling lines. I'm a narrative type of guy, I love loose ends being tied up and character arcs, but not for the simple fact of being neat and tidy, but for the emotional response that happens inside me. To be perfectly honest, Killer of Sheep's storyline isn't a memorable one because I couldn't begin to tell you what was "on the surface," I can tell you what I felt.

Black and white is a great tool for draining out emotion in a motion picture, the use of black and white film stock here is the film's biggest strength after the cinematographer's eye for placing the camera in just the right spots to capture something cognitively. Killer of Sheep almost excuses itself from having a detailed narrative form by telling the story without a conscious plot to follow by showing us. Even in the moments of pure silence and all we hear is the wind or just empty space, Killer of Sheep is trying to convey its messages.

Killer of Sheep comments on social issues such as class, domestic abuse, robbery, gang life, and fund struggles. "It sucks to be poor," yes may seem trite, but Killer of Sheep shows you the lifestyles of its characters, has a lot to say about the disadvantages it is to be poor, but somehow I think the characters are still happy in other ways. Race is an up front topic on the checklist of themes to explore, thankfully they focused on the less superficial arguments such as the endeavors of life, physical and emotional.

Grade: A

Rating: 8.5

Feel the Films: A Blog by RCS - http://feelthefilms.wordpress.com/