There was a fascinating set of characters portrayed by a talented cast in "Sins of the Preacher's Wife." The title character, Marion, makes a delicious poppyseed pie. But her forté is her self-confident, steel persona ready to extract from life all that she believes she deserves.

Marion covets the baby of a newly arrived couple to the small, rural community of Willowvale. Beth is an artist haunted by the death of a childhood friend. Her husband Dan is supportive, but he appears to lack the mettle that the preacher's wife seeks to instill in others.

Beth's attempt to seek guidance from a local therapist comes to naught. But her intense session with Marion, who walks her through the spaces of grieving and letting go, was a compelling scene. One of the best moments was Marion's monologue about the "strong versus the weak." There were no religious overtones in her pronouncements, only the expression of a Darwinian vision of survival of the fittest.

With excellent cinematography of the Willowvale environment and good dramatic tension, the film was eminently watchable. The only weak point was the mêlée at the end that seemed overly choreographed and contrived. Until that point, however, there was a genuinely unsettling quality about the people of Willowvale.

Welcome!

Beth and Dan are married with a baby and she's trying to recover from the death of a close friend that haunts her. She runs into Marion who rescues her just as she walks into traffic after a rough therapy session. Marion runs a daycare center along with her husband who is the pastor of a church and they all become fast friends after attending the church. They hang out a lot and Marion grows attached to Beth's baby and wants it but why? You'll have to tune in to find out. Anna Marie Dobbins, an LMN regular, does some good acting here with Vanessa Angel as the baddie! Not a bad script makes this an interesting watch. Recommended!