It's really only violence if it is man vs. woman.

[Warren DeMontague]

113. Here's an interesting point; my wife and I just watched this movie "Bernie"

Richard Linklater directed, Jack Black as the title character who plays this sort of syrupy-sweet fundamentalist Christian assistant funeral director who gets involved with, and subsequently kills, a rich widow played by Shirley MacLaine. Based on a true story.

Brief digression, since I'm a film person and nerd- I wasn't hugely impressed with this movie. I thought it was pretty dull, not particularly thought-provoking or dramatic. I mean, it was watchable, Jack Black is a bit of a kook playing a very different brand of kook in this thing. I wasn't sure what Linklater's angle was on it- usually in my experience his stuff is usually a bit deeper.

I suspect the appeal, such as it was, of the story for RL was that this town was so enamored with the glad-handing, psalm-singing murderer (and, by most accounts, not particularly fond of the victim) that the murder trial had to be moved to a different venue.

But the trial, such as it was, wasn't really much of a case. I mean, the murder was confessed to, it was pretty cut and dried- I guess the only question was one of premeditation, and the movie seems to indicate it wasn't particularly premeditated.

But the relationship between Jack Black and the Shirley MacLaine character- watching it I was reminded of many of the warning signs which are stated for abusive relationships- she separates him from the rest of his life, micro-manages his decisions, controls where he goes, is verbally abusive, and at one point keeps him a prisoner in her house by closing the front gate in front of his car as he tries to escape.

Watching this, it occurred to me that if the genders in this relationship were reversed- if this were some crazy, mean, nasty rich old man keeping a younger woman prisoner on his estate- would there be a case, would there be an argument, upon her 'snapping' and shooting the guy, that, 'this was a response to an abusive relationship and as such the charges should be mitigated'?

Let me say- obviously- I don't think that's the case. And clearly no one ever tried to make that argument here. But I do think if this story had reversed genders, it's not so far fetched to think a defense atty. might have tried.