Very well executed

Did you people see the same film I saw?

A Brilliant Conflict

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I was a member of a Baptists church for over 2 years. The Pastor's Wife portrays a fairly accurate account of the women in my church who firmly believe that the men in the family have the final say. The wedding vows too are fairly accurate in as much as the 'love, honour and obey' that were originally 'standard' vows. The pastor (or minister) in my church, although young was not (to my knowledge) violent, nor abusive. However he had little or no knowledge of domestic abuse as he had been raised in a non-violent atmosphere. His views were outdated though, because he constantly informed me that no matter how I was treated (or ill-treated), my role as wife was to be submissive, understanding and non-judgemental. My ex treated me okay (in public) behind closed doors, I too was subjected to verbal abuse both by him and his parents. The minister in my church did inform me that if I chose to 'abandon' the marriage, I too would be ostracized by the church. I chose to leave and (as promised) was ostracized.

This film excels at conjuring the ambiguity in a troubling case.As the movie tells it, Mary Winkler shot her husband in the back after he would not help her out of a financial mess that he gotten her into. Mary had had about enough of a man who'd beaten and abused her sexually, but, as Selmer, Tenn.'s upstanding pastor, was expert at hiding all that.Rose McGowan, though far more glamorous than the real-life mother of three at the heart of the story, does well as a timid woman who doesn't even believe she deserves a defense. Michael Shanks has a small role as her husband but is believable.Since Mary was the sole witness to so much of what she claims to have endured, we, her lawyer, her jury, and her community must base our judgments on her version alone. As the film tells it, Mary's oldest daughter, about 12 at the time of the killing, remains a voice of skepticism. The scene in which she challenges her mother as to why they were not calling the police is powerful and really gets one thinking.The movie's final scene is a little chilling. Has Mary changed since serving a short term in jail and returning to everyday life in her quiet town? Or was she always that way? In all, this was very well done.

This true life case appeared in the news a lot - Mary Winkler a young mother of 3 daughters shot and killed her seemingly kind loving pastor husband in the back in bed. She claimed abuse. She got a very short sentence. This puzzling case captured a lot of attention.Rose McGowan is convincing as the enigmatic Mary. She looks shell shocked and is quite appropriately spaced out. The blank stare looks a lot like what we have seen on the news.It's quite well done how they show the public witnessed version of events first and then gradually the alleged private version where the abuse took place.The murdered pastor Matthew Winkler is played by Michael Shanks who gives quite a convincing performance especially explosive in the alleged abuse situation.Leaves one with an unsettled feeling whether the abuse actually took place and he was a perverted abuser or she got too lightly away with murdering him in a huge miscarriage of justice.

As a member of the Church of Christ I have to disagree with the other reviewer. There is no conditioning in the church for wives to be underlings and take abuse. That is hogwash. My mother is a preacher's wife and she is very strong and outspoken. I also hated the scene of their wedding. Those vows they said I have never in my life heard at a wedding. That too was Hollywood hogwash. I also noticed some of the background music made me think of Deliverance. That's what Hollywood thinks of Southerners! All our women barefoot and pregnant and the men chewing tobacco holding a shotgun. Please!!! I didn't really keep up with this trial, but I wonder how much conjecture and untruths were added to this film. But, nobody but Mary knows the truth about what happened and evidently,the jury bought her story.