The Burial Ending Explained

The Burial is inspired by true events. We break down the film's ending, fact from fiction and what happened to the characters after the trial.

**The Burial** ends with Jerry O’Keefe and Willie Gary winning the contract lawsuit case against the Loewen Group. Directed by Maggie Betts, The Burial is based on a true story and its setup is an old-fashioned one that pits a well-meaning man against a greedy business. The win is palpable, with Jerry, the owner of a funeral home and burial insurance business, essentially being awarded millions of dollars in punitive damages by the jury, and Willie delivering the final blow in a cross-examination of Ray Loewen himself.

Jerry was ready to call it quits. After all, he knew he wasn’t looking too good in front of the jury, and his previous lawyer Mike Allred was revealed to be the grandson of a KKK member. Having stepped back from the case, Willie took back the reins. With the help of Hal, who learned the Loewen Group was preying on the poor Black community in Hinds County, Mississippi through a deal made with the National Baptist Convention, Willie convinced Jerry to continue. After Ray Loewen takes the stand, Mame Downes tries to cut a settlement deal with Jerry and Willie, but Jerry refuses, ultimately winning the case shortly after.