Matthew Lambert/ Winonan

As we close out the month of January, I am happy to conclude the month of Richard Linklater with his dark comedy film Bernie, a less known movie to most people.

Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) plays a mortician who is a busy-body and people-pleaser in Carthage, Texas. Bernie is known for going above and beyond for the loved ones of the deceased and begins to have a friendship with a wealthy widow Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), who is known for being the meanest person in the town. When Nugent begins to become controlling, Bernie is forced to do whatever he can to get away from her, possibly even murder her. With arrogant district attorney Danny Buck (Matthew McConaughey) hot on his trail, the people of Carthage begin to question if Bernie really is who he says he is and if he is capable of murder.

Bernie is based off a Texas monthly newspaper article by Skip Hollandsworth. Hollandsworth helped write the screenplay with Linklater. The movie is shot similar to a documentary, with the only recognizable actors being the main concern of the story. Instead of having the story unfold in front of us, Linklater lets the town people of Carthage tell the story for the main characters. Each townsperson is as believable as the next, giving the audience an idea that they actually were around when the film took place.

The movie is also set up to guide us along with questions being posed to the audience and townspeople such as: Who is Bernie? Was it romantic? Was Bernie gay? My favorite reaction comes from Buck when asked if Bernie was gay. It really makes you understand the culture of this small town in Texas: “He had a tendency to hold on to another man’s hand just a touch too long after shaking it.”

Linklater’s independent film is massively underrated, and I predict it will become a cult classic in years to come.