Pastor Matthew Brian Winkler was a beloved member of the community of Selmer, Tennessee. As pastor of the Fourth Street Church of Christ, Matthew had an especially strong following of women, and his sermons paid tribute to them and his wife Mary. It was therefore shocking to this placid town when Matthew was murdered by his wife with a shotgun.
"The Pastor's Wife" carefully unfolds the story of the marriage of Matthew and Mary Carol Winkler. After shooting her husband, Mary packed up the minivan with her three daughters, Hannah, Emily, and baby Sarah and drove from Tennessee through Mississippi and on to Alabama. It was at Orange Beach that she was apprehended on the day after the murder.
Most of the film focuses on the sensational murder trial and a series of flashbacks that recreate the sordid details of the verbal, physical, and psychological abuse inflicted on Mary by her violent husband. The actor playing the defense attorney was extremely convincing, as he persuaded Mary to tell the jury the complete story of her marriage in hell.
The film really belongs to Mary, and the actress gave a remarkable performance in delineating the fragile psyche of an abused woman. Ultimately, Mary was found guilty of manslaughter, but spent only seven additional days in jail, plus sixty days in in a mental health facility. She retained full custody of her three girls.
The filmmakers succeeded in the well-written dialogue, the flashbacks, and the evocation of a credible small-town environment in which the pillar of the community turns out to be a charlatan.
"The Pastor's Wife" carefully unfolds the story of the marriage of Matthew and Mary Carol Winkler. After shooting her husband, Mary packed up the minivan with her three daughters, Hannah, Emily, and baby Sarah and drove from Tennessee through Mississippi and on to Alabama. It was at Orange Beach that she was apprehended on the day after the murder.
Most of the film focuses on the sensational murder trial and a series of flashbacks that recreate the sordid details of the verbal, physical, and psychological abuse inflicted on Mary by her violent husband. The actor playing the defense attorney was extremely convincing, as he persuaded Mary to tell the jury the complete story of her marriage in hell.
The film really belongs to Mary, and the actress gave a remarkable performance in delineating the fragile psyche of an abused woman. Ultimately, Mary was found guilty of manslaughter, but spent only seven additional days in jail, plus sixty days in in a mental health facility. She retained full custody of her three girls.
The filmmakers succeeded in the well-written dialogue, the flashbacks, and the evocation of a credible small-town environment in which the pillar of the community turns out to be a charlatan.