Review of The Messenger (2009) by Adam S — 24 May 2010

Pitch perfect acting and a difficult, wordy screenplay distinguish this war themed indy from last year, about the ways in which war and tragedy affect human communication. After suffering a devastating injury in Iraq, soldier Ben Foster is commissioned back home to finish the remainder of his duty as a Casualty Notification officer, paired with a stern, cynical, broken older soldier (Woody Harrelson in an Oscar nominated turn) who follows the rules of the job to a fault, leaving him a bitter shell.

It's easy to see the path Foster is going to take if he follows the older man in his attitude, but the screenplay is smarter than to present the character with only one option, and faced with unbearable grief every day, the men find a kind of sacrificial friendship through their unique position, and the film becomes less about the physical act of reporting death to next of kin, than about how the war brings it's psychological baggage back home, to everyone, and how that comes to dictate the rules of normal relationships.

Excellent debut from first time director Oren Moverman, with thematic shades of everything from "Coming Home" to "The Best Years of Our Lives".