This is one of the rare Lifetime movies that I've watched more than once. It's by no means a mystery -- as another reviewer mentions, the movie shows us at the very start that the victim's preacher-husband is not being straight with the EMTs he calls after supposedly finding his wife dead in their bedroom. I approve of that directing choice. We all know that, most of the time, "the husband did it." So instead of a Whodunnit, "Sins of the Preacher" becomes more of a Howdunnit.
What really happened to Debbie, and will her mother, cousin, and aunt manage to prove it in a court of law?
That may be the aspect I most like about this film. Obviously, a murdered-woman film cannot have a "happy" ending, especially not one based on a true story. And yet we see a great deal of female strength and determination as Debbie's family investigates her death after the police too quickly rule it a suicide. The title of my review, "Love Trumps Evil," refers to the contribution of another helpful woman off- screen. In too many of these stories, the family never even gets closure of a body. This family, while it can't get their loved one back, at least has that.
I also appreciated that, while the preacher is obviously hypocritical, religion itself is not vilified, unless you see the Bible's bit about wives submitting to their husbands as leading too directly to Debbie's death. All the women in Debbie's family are seriously religious (though her mother understandably has her questioning-God moment at one point). The preacher doesn't end up seeming like he represents all Christians.
If you like this movie, I recommend you read the book on which it is based: Deadly Little Secrets, by Kathryn Casey. You'll end up even more frustrated with the bumbling police and judge. And the preacher ends up seeming even more evil, especially as pertains to the suspicious circumstances under which his daughter died. There are even more levels of sins from this preacher!
What really happened to Debbie, and will her mother, cousin, and aunt manage to prove it in a court of law?
That may be the aspect I most like about this film. Obviously, a murdered-woman film cannot have a "happy" ending, especially not one based on a true story. And yet we see a great deal of female strength and determination as Debbie's family investigates her death after the police too quickly rule it a suicide. The title of my review, "Love Trumps Evil," refers to the contribution of another helpful woman off- screen. In too many of these stories, the family never even gets closure of a body. This family, while it can't get their loved one back, at least has that.
I also appreciated that, while the preacher is obviously hypocritical, religion itself is not vilified, unless you see the Bible's bit about wives submitting to their husbands as leading too directly to Debbie's death. All the women in Debbie's family are seriously religious (though her mother understandably has her questioning-God moment at one point). The preacher doesn't end up seeming like he represents all Christians.
If you like this movie, I recommend you read the book on which it is based: Deadly Little Secrets, by Kathryn Casey. You'll end up even more frustrated with the bumbling police and judge. And the preacher ends up seeming even more evil, especially as pertains to the suspicious circumstances under which his daughter died. There are even more levels of sins from this preacher!