History Film / ToSleepWithAnger

Gideon and Suzie are a married couple and the heads of a black family that lives in South Central Los Angeles. They have two sons, Junior and Samuel, the latter almost always called "Babe Brother". The sons are quite different: Junior is a sober, responsible husband and father while Samuel is thoughtless and self-centered; early in the movie he tells a transparent lie when his father calls him out for missing his mother's birthday.

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''To Sleep With Anger'' is a 1990 film directed by Charles Burnett.

Gideon and Suzie are a married couple and the heads of a black family that lives in South Central Los Angeles. They have two sons, Junior and Samuel, the latter almost always called "Baby Brother". The sons are quite different: Junior is a sober, responsible husband and father while Samuel is thoughtless and self-centered--early in the movie he tells a transparent lie when his father calls him out for missing his mother's birthday.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Junior is only ever called Junior, presumably to differentiate him from his father. Stranger is his younger brother, who is never called Samuel in the film but is actually always called "Babe" or "Babe Brother". His wife even calls him "Babe". He doesn't like it.

* MagicalRealism: Eventually it becomes clear that Harry is some sort of agent of chaos, or maybe even a demon, who by his presence causes disruption and conflict among the family. He has an odd AStormIsComing arrival. He has a bunch of buddies that seem to sort of show up out of nowhere to further irritate his hosts (a neighbor speaks pointedly of Harry's "resurrected friends"). Gideon winds up bedridden, in a sort of coma, for no discernible reason--and when Harry finally dies Gideon promptly wakes up and gets out of bed. There's also something mystic happening when a shattered jug marks Harry's arrival, and a jar of marbles getting knocked over and shattering is immediately followed by Harry's death.

* MagicalRealism: Eventually it becomes clear that Harry is some sort of agent of chaos, or maybe even a demon, who by his presence causes disruption and conflict among the family. He has an odd AStormIsComing arrival. He has a bunch of buddies that seem to sort of show up out of nowhere to further irritate his hosts (a neighbor speaks pointedly of Harry's "resurrected friends"). Gideon winds up bedridden, in a sort of coma, for no discernible reason--and when Harry finally dies Gideon promptly wakes up and gets out of bed.

* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: Harry long overstays his welcome. But somehow, his very presence brings the family closer together.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Junior is only ever called Junior, presumably to differentiate him from his father. Stranger is his younger brother, who is never called Samuel in the film but is actually always called "Babe" or "Baby Brother". His wife even calls him "Babe".

* WouldHitAGirl: The tension between Samuel and Linda reaches a breaking point when she reaches in to the stove where he's cooking and he hits her in the face. She promptly leaves the house.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Samuel is aware that Gideon does not approve of his lack of religious faith and does not approve of his focus on his career at the expense of Sunny. Samuel especially chafes whenever Gideon compares him unfavorably to Junior.

* DisturbedDoves: Junior's son Sunny keeps pigeons. A bunch of them fly off when the DreadfulMuscian neighbor starts blowing away on his trumpet.

* AStormIsComing: Harry's arrival is preceded by a strange gust of wind in the house, which blows over a broom. The broom knocks over a pitcher which falls to the floor and shatters.