The Messenger | |
---|---|
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 | $6.5-10 million [1] [2] |
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.
U.S. Army staff sergeant Will Montgomery is on leave from the Iraq War. He has received commendation for his heroic actions during the war, but is dealing with PTSD and as a result of being wounded in combat, has a chronic condition in his left eye. His only emotional connection is his childhood sweetheart Kelly, whom he was originally intent on marrying before he left for Iraq, but she could not wait for him and has since become engaged to another man.
Before Will is to be discharged, he is dispatched as a casualty notification officer along with Captain Tony Stone as his mentor. Stone, a Gulf War veteran who saw no combat, is the more soldierly of the two and relays to Will the protocol for notifying next of kin of a tragedy, which includes no hugging or physical contact and no fraternizing with the grief-stricken. On the job, their first report is to a family that results in the deceased's mother and pregnant fiancé breaking down, with the mother slapping Stone. Other visits are to a man named Dale Martin who angrily throws things at Will; a woman who secretly married an enlisted man; and a Mexican man who is told through a translator about the death of his daughter. One 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 open up about their lives to each other. Will talks about Kelly rejecting him and tells Stone about his father's death due to drunk driving, along with tales of his estranged mother. At the mall, Will sees Olivia with her son buying clothes for her husband's funeral. He breaks up a fight between her and two Army recruiters attempting to enlist young people, before offering her a ride home. He fixes her car and becomes friendly 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. 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 at a lakeside cabin where Stone brings along two women; Stone engages in fornication with one of them and unsuccessfully tries to get Will to do the same. They end up at Kelly's wedding reception intoxicated and make a scene during the toasts. Later, they play-fight in a parking lot and wake up after having passed out. The pair return to Will's apartment, where Dale is standing outside. He apologizes to Will and Tony for his lashing out. In his apartment, Will tells Tony about his experience with a friend who died while fighting in Iraq—an event that resulted in his injury 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, Will meets Olivia as she's loading her belongings into a truck. She informs Will that she is moving 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 obliges and asks him to come with her into the house so he can write down his address in return.
The Messenger marked the directorial debut of Israeli-American screenwriter and former journalist Oren Moverman. [2] Moverman first began work on the film's script with screenwriter Alessandro Camon in 2006. [2] Moverman said he wanted to write a film about the "unseen aspects of war", especially as President George W. Bush had upheld a ban on photos of soldiers' coffins in the media during his administration. [2] [3] Said Moverman, "We talked about how, despite the extensive coverage of the war as a political issue, there was a blind spot related to the human cost of it." [2]
Directors that expressed interest in helming the project included Sydney Pollack, Roger Michell, and Ben Affleck. [2] After talks with these directors fell through, the film's producers asked Moverman to direct the project himself, despite several Iraq War-related films having recently bombed at the box office. [2] [4] 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, who had himself worked as a casualty notification officer. [2] [5]
The film was shot over 28 days in 2008 in the Fort Dix area in New Jersey. [2]
The scene of Will and Olivia in the kitchen was filmed in a single take. Moverman said, "Something was in the air that day, and I told the cinematographer to put the camera outside the kitchen...I didn't even tell the performers we were shooting. It was a rehearsal. And I gave them only one set of instructions: 'Go in there but don't kiss. Do everything you can to avoid the kiss.'" [6]
The Messenger premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, before receiving a limited release in North America in 4 theaters. [7] 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]
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." [8] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [9]
Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote the film "a gentle portrait of grief, friendship and solace". [10] Roger Ebert awarded the film 3 and ½ stars out of 4, writing:
'The Messenger' knows that even if it tells a tearjerking story, it doesn't have to be a tearjerker. In fact, when a sad story tries too hard, it can be fatal. You have to be the one coming to your own realization about the sadness. Moverman and his screenwriter, Alessandro Camon, born in Italy, have made a very particularly American story, alert to nuances of speech and behavior. All particular stories are universal, inviting us to look in instead of pandering to us. This one looks at the faces of war. Only a few, but they represent so many. [11]
The performances of the cast were subject to considerable praise, [12] [13] [14] with Harrelson earning Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for his work. [15] [16] David Edelstein of New York wrote the film is a breakthrough for Foster, [17] and Ebert said, "Here in countless subtle ways, [Foster] suggests a human being with ordinary feelings who has been through painful experiences and is outwardly calm but not anywhere near healed." [11] The Los Angeles Times ' Betsy Sharkey wrote: "At his most fundamental, Will is a soldier in search of normalcy, for a way to move beyond the horrors of Iraq, to fit in again. Foster leaves you hoping that Will finds his way home." [18] Of Morton, Edelstein said, "I'm not sure how [she] made sense of her character's ebbs and flows, but I never doubted her. She’s a mariner in uncharted seas of emotion." [17]
The Messenger appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2009. [39]
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom Cheers (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from five nominations. He reprised his role in the acclaimed spinoff series Frasier in 1999 for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination.
The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman, chronicling the rise of pornographer Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law. It stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love as his wife Althea, and Edward Norton as his attorney Alan Isaacman. The screenplay, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, spans about 35 years of Flynt's life, from his impoverished upbringing in Kentucky to his court battle with Reverend Jerry Falwell, and is based in part on the U.S. Supreme Court case Hustler Magazine v. Falwell.
Samantha Jane Morton is an English actress. She is known for her work in independent film with dark and tragic themes, in particular period dramas. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award and nominations for two Academy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Olivia Haigh Williams is a British actress who appears in British and American films and television. Williams studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her first significant screen role was as Jane Fairfax in the British television film Emma (1996), based on Jane Austen's novel.
Stop-Loss is a 2008 American war drama film directed by Kimberly Peirce and starring Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as young soldiers whose experience in the Iraq War leaves them psychologically shattered. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures and produced by MTV Films. The film received mixed reviews, and earned less than half of its $25 million production budget at the box office. The title refers to the U.S. government's controversial stop-loss policy, which allows the government to extend the term of duty of soldiers who have already served their contracted number of years of service.
Oren Moverman is an Israeli American, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, film director, and Emmy Award-winning film producer. He has directed the films The Messenger, Rampart, Time Out of Mind, and The Dinner. He also directed the Paramount+ documentary series "Willie Nelson & Family" with Thom Zimny.
Imagine That is a 2009 fantasy comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, directed by Karey Kirkpatrick, and written by Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson. It centers on the relationship between a workaholic father (Murphy) and his daughter, Olivia, whose imaginary world becomes the secret to her father's success.
The Hurt Locker is a 2008 American war action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, and Guy Pearce. The film follows an Iraq War Explosive Ordnance Disposal team who are targeted by insurgents and shows their psychological reactions to the stress of combat. Boal drew on his experience during embedded access to write the screenplay.
In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is a spin-off from Iannucci's BBC Television series The Thick of It (2005–12), and satirises British-American politics, in particular the invasion of Iraq. At the 82nd Academy Awards the film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Alessandro Camon is an Academy Award nominated screenwriter and film producer.
Zombieland is a 2009 American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. It stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, and Bill Murray. In the film, Tallahassee (Harrelson), Columbus (Eisenberg), Wichita (Stone), and Little Rock (Breslin) make their way on an extended cross-country road trip to find a sanctuary free from zombies.
Lawrence Inglee is an American film producer. Inglee most recently served as President of Production for Mosaic Film. He has worked as a producer on a number of films, including The Messenger by director Oren Moverman and The Day After Tomorrow by director Roland Emmerich.
The 14th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards were announced on December 15, 2009.
The 6th St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards were announced on 15 December and awarded on December 21, 2009.
Rampart is a 2011 American crime drama film. Directed by Oren Moverman and co-written by Moverman and James Ellroy, the film stars Woody Harrelson, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster, Anne Heche, Brie Larson, Ice Cube, Cynthia Nixon, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, and Steve Buscemi. It is set in the midst of the fallout from the Rampart scandal of the late 1990s, when corrupt Los Angeles Police Department Officer Dave Brown (Harrelson) is forced to face the consequences of his wayward career.
True Detective is an American anthology crime drama television series created by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the series is structured as a self-contained narrative, employing new cast ensembles, and following various sets of characters and settings.
Indignation is a 2016 American drama film written, produced, and directed by James Schamus. The film, based on the 2008 novel by Philip Roth, is set mostly in Winesburg, Ohio in the early 1950s, and stars Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts, Linda Emond, and Danny Burstein.
Shock and Awe is a 2017 American drama film starring and directed by Rob Reiner and written by Joey Hartstone. The film also stars Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, James Marsden, Milla Jovovich, and Jessica Biel, and follows a group of journalists at Knight Ridder's Washington Bureau who investigate the rationale behind the Bush Administration's then-impending 2003 invasion of Iraq. The film had its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival on September 30, 2017. It was released through DirecTV Cinema on June 14, 2018, before having a limited release in theaters on July 13, 2018, by Vertical Entertainment.
Woody Harrelson is an American actor who made his film debut as an uncredited extra in Harper Valley PTA (1978). His breakthrough role was as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom Cheers (1985–1993), which garnered Harrelson a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from a total of five nominations. He would later reprise the character in other television shows, such as Frasier and The Simpsons. In 1992, Harrelson starred opposite Wesley Snipes in White Men Can't Jump. He then appeared in the Oliver Stone-directed Natural Born Killers (1994) alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Downey Jr. For his performance as free-speech activist Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and an Academy Award for Best Actor. He next appeared in The Thin Red Line (1998).
The Killer is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker. It is based on the French graphic novel series The Killer written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. The film stars Michael Fassbender alongside Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton in supporting roles. Fassbender plays an assassin who embarks on an international vendetta after a hit goes wrong.