The black comedy based on rather bizarre but true events, set in a rural village in Texas is set to hit movie theatres soon and The Socialite finds out more…

If you’re a true crime addict, this one’s for you. Ster-Kinekor is proud to announce the release of Bernie, starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey.  The title will be screened from Friday, 17 May, and is exclusive to select Ster-Kinekor theatres and Cinema Nouveau, which continues to bring the best of art house titles to those who appreciate and love the medium of cinema.

Bernie, directed by Richard Linklater, is based on a true story. It follows the life of Bernie Tiede (Black), a murder convict who confessed to shooting dead a wealthy 81-year-old widow, Marjorie “Marge” Nugent (MacLaine) in 1996.

Set in the tiny rural village of Carthage in Texas, USA, Bernie is an assistant funeral director and one of the town’s most beloved residents. He teaches Sunday school, sings in the church choir and is always willing to lend a helping hand. So it comes as no surprise to anyone when he befriends Marjorie Nugent, an affluent widow who is as well known for her sour attitude as for her vast fortune.

As their friendship grows, Bernie travels frequently with Marjorie and even starts managing her personal banking affairs. She quickly becomes fully dependent on Bernie, but he struggles to meet her increasing demands. The townsfolk would go months without seeing Marjorie, so it comes as some shock to them all when it is reported that she has been dead for some time… and that Bernie has been charged with her murder.

The local district attorney, Danny Buck Davidson (McConaughey) charges Tiede with first-degree (premeditated) murder, and Tiede is arrested. He does confess to killing Marjorie, but claims her emotional abuse as a mitigating circumstance.

Despite his confession of having committed a murder so foul, many citizens of Carthage still rally to the murderer’s defense, with some even asserting that the old woman deserved to die.

Bernie releases at the following cinemas on Friday, 17 May – V&A Nouveau, Gateway Nouveau, Rosebank Nouveau, Brooklyn Nouveau, Somerset Mall, Fourways Mall and Bedford Square.

Check out the trailer below:

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJuhWKcY_6U’]