The Messengeris a 2009wardramafilm starringBen Foster,Woody Harrelson,Samantha Morton,Steve Buscemi,andJena Malone.It is the directorial debut ofOren Moverman,who also wrote the screenplay withAlessandro Camon.The film follows a pair ofUnited States Armycasualty notification officersand the effects of their difficult work on their personal lives and each other.
| The Messenger | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Oren Moverman |
| Written by | Alessandro Camon Oren Moverman |
| Produced by | Mark Gordon Lawrence Inglee Zach Miller |
| Starring | Ben Foster Woody Harrelson Samantha Morton Jena Malone |
| Cinematography | Bobby Bukowski |
| Edited by | Alexander Hall |
| Music by | Nathan Larson |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope Laboratories |
Release date |
|
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.5-10 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $1.5 million[1] |
The film premiered at the2009 Sundance Film Festivaland was in competition at the59th Berlin International Film Festivalwhere it won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay and the Berlinale Peace Film Award '09. The film received first prize for the 2009Deauville American Film Festival.The film has also received fourIndependent Spirit Awardnominations (including one win), aGolden Globenomination, and twoOscarnominations.
Plot
editU.S. Armystaff sergeantWill Montgomery is on leave from theIraq War.He has received commendation for his heroic actions during the war, but is dealing withPTSDand as a result of being wounded in combat, has a chronic condition in his left eye. His only emotional connection is his childhood sweetheart Kelly, whom he was originally intent on marrying before he left for Iraq, but she could not wait for him and has since become engaged to another man.
Before Will is to be discharged, he is dispatched as acasualty notification officeralong with Captain Tony Stone as his mentor. Stone, aGulf Warveteran who saw no combat, is the more soldierly of the two and relays to Will the protocol for notifyingnext of kinof a tragedy, which includes no hugging or physical contact and no fraternizing with the grief-stricken. On the job, their first report is to a family that results in the deceased's mother and pregnant fiancé breaking down, with the mother slapping Stone. Other visits are to a man named Dale Martin who angrily throws things at Will; a woman who secretly married an enlisted man; and a Mexican man who is told through atranslatorabout the death of his daughter. One woman named Olivia is in considerably less visible pain after learning of her husband's death, which Stone suspects is due to her having an affair.
In a bar, Will and Stone open up about their lives to each other. Will talks about Kelly rejecting him and tells Stone about his father's death due to drunk driving, along with tales of his estranged mother. At the mall, Will sees Olivia with her son buying clothes for her husband's funeral. He breaks up a fight between her and two Army recruiters attempting to enlist young people, before offering her a ride home. He fixes her car and becomes friendly with both her and her young son Matt. After hearing a voicemail from Kelly talking about her upcoming wedding, he punches a hole through his wall in a fit of rage. He arrives at Olivia's house and the two express affection for each other, but his attempts atphysical intimacyare met with hesitancy as she tells him about how her husband mistreated her and her son.
When Will comforts a family in a local grocery store after telling them of their son's fate, Stone physically berates him for it. Will stands up to his rank by using his first name "Tony" before walking home on his own. They later make up and spend the next few days together at a lakeside cabin where Stone brings along two women; Stone engages in fornication with one of them and unsuccessfully tries to get Will to do the same. They end up at Kelly's wedding reception intoxicated and make a scene during the toasts. Later, they play-fight in a parking lot and wake up after having passed out. The pair return to Will's apartment, where Dale is standing outside. He apologizes to Will and Tony for his lashing out. In his apartment, Will tells Tony about his experience with a friend who died while fighting in Iraq—an event that resulted in his injury to his left eye—and how he feels his bravery was meaningless as he could not do anything for him; he contemplatedsuicidesoon after, but stopped himself when he saw the sunrise. Hearing this, Tony breaks down in tears.
The next day, Will meets Olivia as she's loading her belongings into a truck. She informs Will that she is moving with her son toLouisiana,and Will tells her he is considering staying in the U.S. Army. He asks Olivia to let him know their new address; she obliges and asks him to come with her into the house so he can write down his address in return.
Cast
edit- Ben Fosteras Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery
- Woody Harrelsonas Captain Tony Stone
- Samantha Mortonas Olivia Pitterson
- Jena Maloneas Kelly
- Steve Buscemias Dale Martin
- Yaya DaCostaas Monica Washington
- Eamonn Walkeras Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Dorsett
- Peter Francis Jamesas Dr. Grosso
- Merritt Weveras Lara
- Gaius Charlesas Recruiter Brown
- Brendan Sexton IIIas Recruiter Olson
- Carl Anthony Payne IIas Pitterson's Father
- Halley Feifferas Marla Cohen
- Peter Friedmanas Mr. Cohen
- Jeremy Strongas Returning Soldier
- Fiona Dourifas Returning Soldier's Wife
- Michael Chernusas Alan
Production
editThe Messengermarked the directorial debut of Israeli-American screenwriter and former journalistOren Moverman.[2]Moverman first began work on the film's script with screenwriterAlessandro Camonin 2006.[2]Moverman said he wanted to write a film about the "unseen aspects of war", especially asPresident George W. Bushhad upheld a ban on photos of soldiers' coffins in the media during his administration.[2][3]Said Moverman, "We talked about how, despite the extensive coverage of the war as a political issue, there was a blind spot related to the human cost of it."[2]
Directors that expressed interest in helming the project includedSydney Pollack,Roger Michell,andBen Affleck.[2]After talks with these directors fell through, the film's producers asked Moverman to direct the project himself, despite several Iraq War-related films having recently bombed at the box office.[2][4]The filmmakers worked closely with the United States Army and theWalter Reed Medical Centerto conduct research on military life, and were specifically advised by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Sinor, who had himself worked as a casualty notification officer.[2][5]
The film was shot over 28 days in 2008 in theFort Dixarea in New Jersey.[2]
The scene of Will and Olivia in the kitchen was filmed in a single take. Moverman said, "Something was in the air that day, and I told the cinematographer to put the camera outside the kitchen...I didn't even tell the performers we were shooting. It was a rehearsal. And I gave them only one set of instructions: 'Go in there but don't kiss. Do everything you can to avoid the kiss.'"[6]
Release
editThe Messengerpremiered at the2009 Sundance Film Festivalon January 19, before receiving a limited release in North America in 4 theaters.[7]It grossed $44,523 for an average of $11,131 per theater ranking 46th at the box office, and went on to earn $1.1 million domestically and $411,601 internationally for a total of $1.5 million, against its budget of $6.5 million.[1]
Reception
editCritical response
editOnRotten Tomatoes,the film has an approval rating of 90%, based on 162 reviews, with an average rating of 7.51/10. The site's critical consensus states, "A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/director Oren Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster."[8]OnMetacritic,the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]
Claudia PuigofUSA Todaywrote the film "a gentle portrait of grief, friendship and solace".[10]Roger Ebertawarded the film 3 and ½ stars out of 4, writing:
'The Messenger' knows that even if it tells a tearjerking story, it doesn't have to be a tearjerker. In fact, when a sad story tries too hard, it can be fatal. You have to be the one coming to your own realization about the sadness. Moverman and his screenwriter, Alessandro Camon, born in Italy, have made a very particularly American story, alert to nuances of speech and behavior. All particular stories are universal, inviting us to look in instead of pandering to us. This one looks at the faces of war. Only a few, but they represent so many.[11]
The performances of the cast were subject to considerable praise,[12][13][14]with Harrelson earningGolden GlobeandOscarnominations for his work.[15][16]David EdelsteinofNew Yorkwrote the film is a breakthrough for Foster,[17]and Ebert said, "Here in countless subtle ways, [Foster] suggests a human being with ordinary feelings who has been through painful experiences and is outwardly calm but not anywhere near healed."[11]The Los Angeles Times'Betsy Sharkey wrote: "At his most fundamental, Will is a soldier in search of normalcy, for a way to move beyond the horrors of Iraq, to fit in again. Foster leaves you hoping that Will finds his way home."[18]Of Morton, Edelstein said, "I'm not sure how [she] made sense of her character's ebbs and flows, but I never doubted her. She’s a mariner in uncharted seas of emotion."[17]
Awards and nominations
editTop ten lists
editThe Messengerappeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2009.[39]
- 3rd: Robert Mondello,NPR[39]
- 4th:Ty Burr,Boston Globe[39]
- 4th:Stephen Holden,The New York Times[39]
- 9th: Frank Scheck,The Hollywood Reporter[39]
- 10th:Peter Travers,Rolling Stone[39]
- Top 10:David Denby,The New Yorker[39]
References
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- ^"Ban on photos of U.S. troops' coffins lifted".ABC News.February 27, 2009.RetrievedJune 24,2024.
- ^Brown, Phil (February 19, 2010)."An intimate look at grief found in the heart of war".Metro Canada.Archived fromthe originalon June 30, 2012.RetrievedNovember 26,2010.
- ^Lavallée, Eric (October 28, 2010)."IDA 2010 Documentary Awards Noms: Sweetgrass, Steam of Life and Waste Land Among Five Noms".ION Cinema.RetrievedNovember 26,2020.
- ^Ealy, Charles (September 1, 2012)."The story of 'The Messenger' is all in the eyes".Austin American-Statesman.RetrievedJune 24,2024.
- ^McCarthy, Todd(December 4, 2008)."More star power at Sundance".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on December 8, 2008.RetrievedFebruary 3,2009.
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- ^Puig, Claudia(November 20, 2009)."'The Messenger' delivers a poignant tale ".USA Today.Archived fromthe originalon November 23, 2009.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
- ^abEbert, Roger (November 18, 2009)."Don't touch them. Don't hug them. Don't get involved in any way".RogerEbert.RetrievedJune 24,2024.
- ^Morris, Wesley(November 20, 2009)."'The Messenger'".Boston Globe.Archived fromthe originalon May 20, 2010.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
- ^Scott, A.O.(November 12, 2009)."Delivering Bad News and Truths About War".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
- ^Denby, David(November 16, 2009)."Death Calls".The New Yorker.Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2015.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
- ^ab"The Messenger".goldenglobes.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
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- ^abEdelstein, David (November 13, 2009)."The Road - The Messenger - Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans".New York Magazine.RetrievedJune 24,2024.
- ^Sharkey, Betsy (November 20, 2009)."'The Messenger'".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 24, 2024.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
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- ^Kilday, Gregg (December 14, 2009)."'Basterds,' 'Nine' lead Critics' Choice noms ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
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- ^McNary, Dave (March 6, 2010)."A 'Precious' night at Indie Spirit Awards".Variety.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Miller, Ross (February 19, 2010)."Avatar Leads 2010 Saturn Awards Nominations".ScreenRant.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"Prizes & Honours 2009".berlinale.de.Archived fromthe originalon October 15, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^Kilday, Gregg (January 3, 2010)."'Hurt Locker' tops critics group nods ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"22nd Annual Chicago Film Critics Awards".chicagofilmcritics.org.Archived fromthe originalon February 24, 2010.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"DFW CrixUp in the AirWith Year-End Tally ".Dallas Observer.December 16, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon December 28, 2010.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"Top prize at Deauville film fest for 'The Messenger'".The Sydney Morning Herald.September 13, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"2010 DCFS Awards".Denver Film Critics.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
- ^Karger, Dave (December 11, 2009)."Detroit Film Critics announce nominees".EW.RetrievedJune 27,2024.
- ^Swart, Sharon (October 19, 2009)."'Locker,' 'Fan' top Gotham noms ".Variety.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
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- ^"2009 Archives".National Board of Review.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
- ^"2009 Online Film Critics Society Award nominees".ofcs.org.Archived fromthe originalon July 22, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 27,2023.Alt URL
- ^"2009 Awards".San Diego Film Critics Society.RetrievedSeptember 25,2023.
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