Charles Burnett, one of America#39;s most highly regarded independent filmmakers, wrote and directed this domestic drama about a black middleclass family living in South central Los Angeles However, there are no gangs, no guns, no drugs but instead a lyrical story that draws on folklore and the supernatural
family tensions are already simmering when Harry Danny Glover arrives to visit his old friends He exudes an easy charm, knows secret past and present and is soon installed in the heart of the family However, as his stay lengthens, so does he begin to cast an even more malevolent spell, provoking turmoil, setting son against son, reviving past hatreds, and inflicting a mysterious illness
Glover delivers a careertopping performance as the garrulous nbsp;family friend, full of hidden menace, effortlessly evoking nostalgia and horror in the same breath
As ever, Burnett provides a wonderful music track featuring gospel, blues and jazz and a cameo from the legendary Jimmy Weatherspoon
#39;A slowburning, soulinsinuating, 12bar blues of a movie#39; Tom Charity, Time Out
#39;Danny Glover is marvellous, and terrifying, as a charismatic oldtimer#39; The Times
from the description on the back cover of the DVD版
