| 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 million[1] |
| Box office | $1.5 million[1] |
The Messenger is a 2009 war drama film starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Steve Buscemi, and Jena Malone. It is the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, who also wrote the screenplay with Alessandro Camon. The film follows a pair of United States Army casualty notification officers and the effects of their difficult work on their personal lives and each other.
The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was in competition at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay and the Berlinale Peace Film Award '09. The film received first prize for the 2009 Deauville American Film Festival. The film has also received four Independent Spirit Award nominations (including one win), a Golden Globe nomination, and two Oscar nominations.
Plot
On leave from the Iraq War, Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army staff sergeant, finds that his girlfriend Kelly is engaged to another man. Before he is to be discharged, he is dispatched as a casualty notification officer along with Gulf War veteran Captain Tony Stone as his mentor. He is told of the importance of his task by Lieutenant Colonel Dorsett as many have failed. Stone then relays the rules of telling next of kin of a tragedy. On the job, their first report to a family prompts the mother to slap Stone, as she and his pregnant fiancé weep over the deceased; a man named Dale Martin angrily throws things at Will; a woman who secretly married an enlisted man cries in her father's arms after learning of her husband's death; a Mexican man who is told through a translator about the death of his daughter cries in front of his other child; and a 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 discuss their lives to each other. Will talks about his girlfriend rejecting him and tells Stone about his father's death due to drunk driving, along with tales of his estranged mother. Will sees Olivia with her son at a mall buying clothes for her husband's funeral, breaking up a fight between her and two Army recruiters attempting to enlist boys and girls, before offering her a ride. He fixes her car and becomes friends 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, which further aggravates his hand. He arrives at Olivia's house and the two express affection for each other, but his attempts at physical intimacy are 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, where Stone has a hookup and unsuccessfully tries to get Will to do the same. They end up at Kelly's wedding drunk and make a scene, play-fight in a parking lot, then wake up in a forest after passing out and go home. Martin is there, and he apologizes for lashing out at Will. In Tony's apartment, Will tells Tony about his experience with a friend who died while fighting in Iraq—an event that resulted in his chronic damage to his left eye—and how he feels his bravery was meaningless as he could not do anything for him; he contemplated suicide soon after, but stopped himself when he saw the sunrise. Hearing this, Tony breaks down in tears.
The next day, Olivia decides to move from her house. She informs Will that she is going with her son to Louisiana, and Will tells her he is considering staying in the U.S. Army. He asks Olivia to let him know their new address; she asks him to come with her into the house.
Cast
- Ben Foster as Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery
- Woody Harrelson as Captain Tony Stone
- Samantha Morton as Olivia Pitterson
- Jena Malone as Kelly
- Steve Buscemi as Dale Martin
- Yaya DaCosta as Monica Washington
- Eamonn Walker as Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Dorsett
- Peter Francis James as Dr. Grosso
- Merritt Wever as Lara
- Gaius Charles as Recruiter Brown
- Brendan Sexton III as Recruiter Olson
- Carl Anthony Payne II as Pitterson's Father
- Halley Feiffer as Marla Cohen
- Peter Friedman as Mr. Cohen
- Jeremy Strong as Returning Soldier
- Fiona Dourif as Returning Soldier's Wife
- Michael Chernus as Alan
Production
The Messenger marked the directorial debut of Israeli screenwriter and former journalist Oren Moverman. Though Sydney Pollack, Roger Michell, and Ben Affleck were all attached to direct the movie at various times, when those talks fell through, the producers eventually asked Moverman to helm the project.[2] The filmmakers worked closely with the United States Army and the Walter Reed Medical Center to conduct research on military life, and were specifically advised by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Sinor as a technical consultant.[3]
Release
The Messenger premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival before receiving a limited release in North America in 4 theaters.[4] 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
Critical response
On Rotten 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."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Harrelson's performance was subject to considerable praise, leading to Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor.[7][8]
Awards and nominations
Top ten lists
The Messenger appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2009.[26]
- 3rd: Robert Mondello, NPR[26]
- 4th: Ty Burr, Boston Globe[26]
- 4th: Stephen Holden, The New York Times[26]
- 9th: Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter[26]
- 10th: Peter Travers, Rolling Stone[26]
- Top 10: David Denby, The New Yorker[26]
References
- 1 2 3 "The Messenger (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
- ↑ Brown, Phil (February 19, 2010). "An intimate look at grief found in the heart of war". Metro Canada. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
- ↑ Lavallée, Eric (October 28, 2010). "IDA 2010 Documentary Awards Noms: Sweetgrass, Steam of Life and Waste Land Among Five Noms". ION Cinema. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ↑ McCarthy, Todd (December 4, 2008). "More star power at Sundance". Variety. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ↑ "The Messenger". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
- ↑ "The Messenger". Metacritic. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- 1 2 "Winners & Nominees 2010". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- 1 2 "82nd Academy Awards". www.oscars.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ↑ "2009 | Categories". International Press Academy. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ Kilday, Gregg (December 14, 2009). "'Basterds,' 'Nine' lead Critics' Choice noms". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (March 6, 2010). "A 'Precious' night at Indie Spirit Awards". Variety. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ Miller, Ross (February 19, 2010). "Avatar Leads 2010 Saturn Awards Nominations". ScreenRant. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Prizes & Honours 2009". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ Kilday, Gregg (January 3, 2010). "'Hurt Locker' tops critics group nods". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "22nd Annual Chicago Film Critics Awards". chicagofilmcritics.org. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "DFW Crix Up in the Air With Year-End Tally". Dallas Observer. December 16, 2009. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Top prize at Deauville film fest for 'The Messenger'". The Sydney Morning Herald. September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ Swart, Sharon (October 19, 2009). "'Locker,' 'Fan' top Gotham noms". Variety. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ Dansby, Andrew (December 18, 2009). "Houston critics judging films". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ↑ "2009 Archives". National Board of Review. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "2009 Online Film Critics Society Award nominees". www.ofcs.org. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ↑ "2009 Awards". San Diego Film Critics Society. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Winners". SEFCA. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ↑ "2009 WAFCA Awards". www.wafca.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Metacritic: 2009 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.