In his first two features, Killer of Sheep (1977) and My Brother's Wedding, both knowing portraits of Watts families, Charles Burnett's immersion in the ironies and complexities of his subject matter defied the restrictions of incredibly small budgets. My Brother's Wedding focuses on Pierce Monday (Everett Silas), whose love-hate relationship with the black community, while given an entirely personal portrayal, seems to encompass the burdens of a generation. Angry over his lower-middle-class status, angrier still at those who would have him seek affluence, he finds himself suddenly alone at the age of thirty, all of his friends having been imprisoned or killed, and his brother bound for bliss with his bride-to-be. Variety noted of this independent production, "Burnett...has a facility for incorporating secondary characters, comic observation and local color into the story...Using primarily novice and semi-pro performers, he manages to create an authentic flavor to his film."