Quality Control

Fold, iron, hang. Fold, iron, hang. It goes on endlessly, the repetitive work at a dry cleaners in Alabama. Kevin Jerome Everson filmed there in the summer of 2010. The routines, the noise of the machines, the heat, the cheerful babbling, the breaks - in long uninterrupted takes, the director gives viewers enough time to take in all the details of the strenuous work.
Shot in black-and-white on 16mm film, Quality Control almost seems to date from a different era. That feeling is strengthened by Everson’s approach, which makes the process of film making visible and tangible. Over-exposure, flickering and vibrations in the image are part of the technique used to make the viewer conscious of the film material.
Quality Control fits seamlessly in the extensive oeuvre of Everson, who has made countless short films and five features, the most important topic being the working-class culture of Afro-Americans.