Review of The Messenger (2009) by Alessandro R — 03 Aug 2010

This indie film by Oren Moverman cuts deep with very little humor to spare. I avoid movies like this longer than I should, mainly because I have an overactive empathy gland that makes studying tragedy in its rawest form rather unpleasant. Not that I don't appreciate the experience, and "The Messenger" is no exception.

How dreadful it would be to deliver the news of a soldiers death to their loved ones. Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is a decorated army mechanic and recently recovered from wounds acquired courtesy of the Iraqi war. For whatever reason his superior officers assign him to the sacred duty of notification, and he is to be instructed by Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson); who unlike Will had never seen much action, but is a veteran in formally advising people that the army regrets their tragic loss.

Stone demands that Will follow procedure and don't get get too involved, don't touch the bereaved, and for Christ's sake don't hug them. Harrelson suits the role of a man who has signed over ownership of his balls and brainpan to the US Army; a recovering alcoholic who pushes insensitivity as a rule of thumb. While strikingly similar to characters the Wood man has played a dozen times over, there is instances of him pushing his range and its good to see.

Ben Foster is the anchor of this cast, and with great nuance he takes the character to somber places. Will is a low key man of few words, but when he speaks he is polite and concise. He saves his brooding for his sparsely decorated apartment and articulates his misery by blasting alternative rock and sometimes punching holes in the wall. With his girlfriend since childhood marrying a mutual friend, and no real family to speak of, his only companionship is Captain Stone and it takes a while to warm up to that guy.

Will puts up a front but the audience can sense that the job is difficult for him. He gets cursed and spat at, watches mothers and wives double over, recoiling with grief. Or as in the case of Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton) a wife that had fallen out of love with the man overseas but feels guilty for it now that he's no longer among the living. Will immediately fixates on her with a quiet sympathy, and it leads to tremendously poignant scenes that dissect a whole complex array of conflicting emotions...

I think you get the idea. A grounded, deftly acted film that touches on many issues with great care, and aside from unnecessary scenes bogging down the middle, it is definitely worth admiring at the risk of shedding a wetty.

Extraneous Points: (A method of supplementing my reviews and hopefully it catches on.).

1. Jena Malone is Ben's ex girlfriend and the limited screen time she gets is well utilized. She sure got pretty since Donnie Darko. She should be in more stuff!

2. Woody needs to lose the mustache.

Bradley J. Timm.