Instead of a conventional narrative, “Killer of Sheep” presents us with a mood.

A sharply observed, lyrically romantic drama of a young paterfamilias in Watts named Stan, whose harsh job in a slaughterhouse leaves him embittered and depressed.

It's quiet, unhurried, understated, unblinking. Mood matters more than style, dailiness more than incident.

While Italy produced neo-realism and England produced kitchen sink realism, Killer of Sheep transfers that same kind of cinéma vérité look at lower-income life to 1970s America.