South Central L.A., 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 is his brother’s rapidly approaching wedding that starts posing existential questions for him. Charles Burnett’s second feature following <em class="film-other">Killer of Sheep</em> 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 <em class="program">Forum</em> history showing in a new restoration.