The Messenger (2009 film)

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The Messenger
Messengerposter10.jpg
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
CinematographyBobby Bukowski
Edited byAlexander Hall
Music by Nathan Larson
Distributed by Oscilloscope Laboratories
Release date
  • November 13, 2009 (2009-11-13)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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.

Contents

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

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

YearCeremonyCategoryRecipientsResult
2009 14th Satellite Awards [9] Best Drama Film Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Woody Harrelson Nominated
15th Critics' Choice Awards [10] Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Samantha Morton Nominated
16th Screen Actors Guild Awards [11] Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role Woody HarrelsonNominated
25th Independent Spirit Awards [12] Best First Feature Nominated
Best Supporting Male Woody HarrelsonWon
Best Supporting Female Samantha MortonNominated
Best Screenplay Alessandro Camon
Oren Moverman
Nominated
36th Saturn Awards [13] Best Action / Adventure / Thriller FilmNominated
59th Berlin International Film Festival [14] Golden Bear - Best Film Nominated
Silver Bear - Best Screenplay Alessandro Camon
Oren Moverman
Won
67th Golden Globe Awards [7] Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonNominated
82nd Academy Awards [8] Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Alessandro Camon
Oren Moverman
Nominated
2009 National Society of Film Critics Awards [15] Best Supporting Actress Samantha MortonNominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2009 [16] Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonNominated
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 2009 [17] Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Deauville American Film Festival [18] Grand PrixWon
Denver Film Critics Society Awards 2009Best Supporting ActorWoody HarrelsonNominated
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2009Best Supporting ActorNominated
Gotham Independent Film Awards 2009 [19] Breakthrough Performer Ben Foster Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2009 [20] Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonNominated
Best Supporting Actress Samantha MortonNominated
National Board of Review Awards 2009 [21] Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonWon
Best Directorial Debut Oren MovermanWon
Online Film Critics Society Awards 2009 [22] Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonNominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2009 [23] Best Actor Ben FosterNominated
Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonNominated
Best Supporting Actress Samantha MortonWon
Best Original Screenplay Alessandro Camon
Oren Moverman
Nominated
Best Ensemble Performance Nominated
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards 2009 [24] Best Supporting ActorWoody HarrelsonRunner-up
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards 2009 Best Director Oren MovermanNominated
Best Actor Ben FosterNominated
Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonNominated
Best Supporting Actress Samantha MortonNominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2009 [25] Best Supporting Actor Woody HarrelsonNominated
Best Supporting Actress Samantha MortonNominated

Top ten lists

The Messenger appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2009. [26]

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