All the more remarkable given that it's both a student film and shot in the 70s. It doesn't have to feel like it evokes the period because it was made in the period. Feels much older than its thirty year age, probably because it was shot in black and white, and probably because the 70s seem so long ago.
Rather than push a narrative plot, the camera is content to observe, and yet, as naturalistic as some shots are, there are unusual scenes that tell you a film is being shot. The timeless quality may say much about how certain things haven't changed, including attitudes between the genders in African American culture.
Doesn't really try to explain why this family is poor, or why they struggle just to get by. Like the sheeps, Stan and his family don't realize the direness of their situation. Early on, he's asked why he doesn't kill himself, one nod the film has to explain what keeps people moving on.
Though life doesn't seem to get better, people seem content. Kids figure prominently, even as they aren't major characters. Their play shows self-destructive tendencies, and that being tough is often a mere bluff.
Music plays a crucial role in this film, with classical music, ironic songs about what it means to be an American, and a song about "this bitter Earth" which is played twice.
Though the film drags, it is nonetheless fascinating, as the message is so subtle that you are left piecing together what you've seen.
And the sheep. So lyrical, so mindless, and eventually, so unaware what is lying ahead of it. Much like the people that fill this film.
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