To Sleep with Anger

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Dir. Charles Burnett. 1990, 102 mins. Restored 4K DCP. With Danny Glover, Mary Alice, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Paul Butler. The great Burnett had solidified his reputation in cinema history with his epochal 1977 film Killer of Sheep, yet it had taken the “L.A. Rebellion” director thirteen more years to make his first breakthrough into the narrative moviemaking near-mainstream. Made at a turning point of the American independent film boom, Burnett’s mesmerizing To Sleep with Anger had a major movie star (Danny Glover) in the leading role and became one of the most talked-about low-budget movies of the year, earning awards from the Independent Spirits, Sundance, and the National Society of Film Critics. Yet this brilliant and provocative domestic drama about a Black family contending with the effects of a mysterious houseguest in contemporary Los Angeles was likely too culturally complex and narratively enigmatic for the less adventurous Oscar voter. While many other, more honored titles of the era have been forgotten, Burnett’s film stands supreme. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.