Killer of Sheep

Yes, I most definitely found this film difficult. There were a few reasons, one being the seeming lack of a plot, another was the scenes inside the slaughterhouse of the sheep being slaughtered. The lack of an obvious plot was the main reason I found Killer of Sheep to be a difficult movie. Typically in a movie, every character, every line of dialogue, and every action is significant to adding to the plot. This did not seem to be the case in this film. Perhaps there is a plot, but just did not see it. I did follow that Stan was the main character and that most of the actions seemed to revolve around his life somehow. The earlier scenes of the film, the ones depicting the neighborhood kids messing around and playing, made no sense to me. I understand what is being shown, but I can't figure out why it is relevant. What does that have to do with Stan's life? I suppose it could show that he lacks the control of his life to keep his kids in line and away from negative influences. If that is the case, it was very subtle. Another instance was when Stan bought the motor for his car and upon loading it into the truck and driving off, the engine fell out and became unusable. Finally, the scene at the end of the movie, when Stan and friends are driving to the race track and the are gets a flat tire. It turns out that Stan doesn't have a spare. To me, all these scenes spell out a life of misfortune. Someone who just can't quite get things right. If this is indeed the theme or plot of the movie, it was not as obvious as I feel it should have been. Only now, as I am writing this, do I see the pieces being somewhat put together. This movie certainly takes some serious thought to understand, and a second or third viewing couldn't hurt either. This is what I have gathered without having completed the reading assignment yet and without watching the introduction video which at the time of this writing was not posted yet.

The reason I think the scenes involving the slaughterhouse and the sheep make the movie difficult are due to the graphic nature of the scenes. Also, their relevance to the story. I assume there is to be some sort of analogy between Stan's life and the sheep, but I was never able to make the connection. As a result, the scenes were all about the violence. As far as the gore, the scene that really stood out in my mind was the one where a sheep's head was removed from the sheep's body and was carved up. For a few seconds, I had to turn my head due to the blood and gore. Overall, these scenes lacked clear relevance and therefore seemed to only serve as a means to introduce graphic content into the film.

The other aspect of this film that I found difficult was seeing Stan struggle and knowing I as the viewer had to sit back and watch. It is painful to watch someone struggle and know there isn't anything you can do to help. From what I could tell, Stan is trying to live a good, honest life. However, life just seems to continually beat him down. His friends try to coax him in to helping them commit a crime. He says no, but they continue to harass him. His attempt to get a new motor for his car ends in utter disaster, and on his way to the racetrack, the car blows a tire. His life is one misfortune after another. The difficulty of all of this struggle is eased by Stan's fortitude, his refusal to give up. He continues work hard at his job, and despite his inability to control his kids, he still gives it an effort. Stan seems to be an optimist who expects things to turn around at some point. After all his suffering, he will be rewarded in the future. No rewards seem to come in the movie, which is difficult to watch, but the viewer can hope, like Stan, that in the future, good things will come his way.