South Central LA, the beginning of the 1980s. Pierce Mundy is always on the move, but without ever really getting anywhere. The young man is kept busy – by his parents, their tailor’s shop, friends and neighbours. Together with Soldier, who is about to be released from prison, he is the last remaining member of their friendship circle. Unlike his brother, who is going to marry a lawyer, Pierce is entirely lacking in ambition, which drives especially his mother mad. And yet Pierce is an integral part of life in the neighbourhood. It’s his brother’s rapidly approaching wedding that starts posing existential questions for him. Charles Burnett’s second feature following Killer of Sheep is of a much lighter tone, the setting is saturated with reality, albeit without entering the realm of documentary. In the various encounters and during Pierce’s wanderings, a portrait of a young man and a community defined in equal measure by stagnation, resignation, resistance and joie de vivre is formed in parallel. Lived realities are shown in even the smallest of supporting roles, complex and attentive. A classic of New Black Cinema and a cornerstone of Forum history showing in a new restoration. (Berlinale Forum Special 2026, Fabian Tietke)
Charles Burnett, born in Mississippi in 1944 and raised in Watts, Los Angeles, Charles Burnett is a central figure of the L.A. Rebellion film movement. He gained acclaim for realistic portrayals of African American life, starting with his UCLA thesis film Killer of Sheep (1978) and My Brother’s Wedding (1983). His films Killer of Sheep and To Sleep with Anger (1990) are both on the National Film Registry. He received an honorary Oscar in 2017 for his influential career in independent cinema, documentaries, and television. His 1999 film, The Annihilation of Fish, finally premiered in 2025 to rave reviews.
The restoration is a collaboration between Milestone Films and UCLA Film & Television Archive; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.
