Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery (Ben Foster), a decorated war hero returned from Iraq, is dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and a girlfriend Kelly (Jena Malone) who is about to leave him. In just a few months, his enlistment ends.
Sensitive, volatile Montgomery is called into a meeting one day. He is being assigned to work as a Casualty Notification Officer (CNO), where he will face the aftermath of death again, this time whenever his pager goes off.
Montgomery resists, but his superior officer (Eamonn Walker) and experienced CNO Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) have decided he’ll be perfect for the detail no one wants.
Foster’s portrayal is delicate and searing in his scenes with Harrelson and one of the survivors (new widow and mother of a young son Samantha Morton). Montgomery’s trauma peels away slowly and painfully, revealing a wounded young man with a great capacity for empathy and sharing.
Harrelson received an Oscar nomination (for Best Supporting Actor) for his complex, edgy character. Capt. Stone is an uptight stickler for procedure and a Twelve Step disciple clinging to sobriety. Stone warns his student to stay sharp. “Do not speak with anyone other than next of kin. Avoid physical contact. In case you feel like offering a hug, don’t.”
Foster (3:10 to Yuma) is tense and rattled by nightmares. Montgomery follows Stone’s instructions closely, but soon begins to trust his instincts and reconnect with Olivia (Morton) after she is notified.
Olivia seems not too upset by the news, suggesting a troubled marriage. War affects soldiers and their family life unpredictably. Montgomery, almost indifferent to his ex-girlfriend, is drawn to Olivia. Their encounters are wild and shy, honest and tinged with guilt.
The Messenger is filmed simply and directly. Visit by visit, the officers walk side by side, impeccably uniformed, tasked to deliver the regrets of the Secretary of Defense. Onlookers are aghast, immediately recognizing death’s messengers.
The tension of the film is in whether the two officers will survive themselves, and in how the veterans’ families will react. Grief, rage and even violence can erupt as the horrible news is delivered.
The survivors are unforgettable. Steve Buscemi lashes out as a spitting mad father. A white girl who secretly married her Hispanic beau is now a widow (her father didn’t even know they were married). A pregnant young wife collapses.
Montgomery heals as he allows himself to empathize with the survivors. Soon he can’t wait to take the lead during the visits.
As Stone begins to devolve, he grasps at his growing friendship with Montgomery. Stone drowns in despair, haunted by regrets from his own tour of duty.
Beautifully written and acted, the film is human, moving and objective. Between each notification visit are bouts of down time filled with anguish and drunken revelry.
The Messenger is Oren Moverman’s directorial debut. A veteran of Israeli combat, he wrote the screenplay with Alessandro Camon. Moverman also wrote I’m Not There (2007) and Jesus’ Son (1999).
This poignant and blunt tale avoids politics and maintains a universal appeal.
If you like The Messenger, you might enjoy: The Hurt Locker; Green Zone.
The Messenger 2009 / R / 1 hour, 45 min
Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Steve Buscemi
Director: Oren Moverman
Genre: Military Drama
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