Story of movie The Messenger 2009 Film : 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 Messenger | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Oren Moverman |
| Produced by | Mark Gordon Lawrence Inglee Zach Miller |
| Written by | Alessandro Camon Oren Moverman |
| Starring | Ben Foster Woody Harrelson Samantha Morton Jena Malone |
| Music by | Nathan Larson |
| Cinematography | Bobby Bukowski |
| Edited by | Alexander Hall |
| Distributed by | Oscilloscope Laboratories |
Release date |
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Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.5 million |
| Box office | $1.5 million |
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 Academy Award nominations.
Screenplay
After his return from Iraq; Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army staff sergeant on leave, finds that his girlfriend Kelly is engaged to another man he knows named Alan. Before he is to be discharged, he is dispatched as a casualty notification officer along with Capt. Stone as his mentor. He is told by Lieutenant Col. Dorsett of the importance of his task as many have failed; Stone then relays the rules of telling next of kin of a tragedy. On the job, their first report shows a woman slapping Stone as her family weeps over the loss of her son. People continue to be told of deaths, including a man named Dale Martin who is angry when news of his son's death warrants no reason to him; a daughter who secretly married an enlisted man without telling her father that cries in his arms; a Mexican man, who is told through a translator, about the death of his daughter only to cry in front of his other child; and a woman named Olivia, who is in considerably less pain for her husband. Stone suspects it 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 store confronting men attempting to enlist teenagers and dismisses them before offering her a ride. He fixes her car and becomes friends with both her and her young son Matt. After hearing Kelly's voicemail, he punches a hole through his wall in a fit of rage. He arrives at Olivia's house and almost has sex with her before they decide not to; she tells him about how her husband mistreated her and how he abused her son, clearing up suspicion of her cheating on him by Stone.
When Will comforts a family in a local grocery store after telling them of their son's fate, Stone berates him for it. Will stands up to his rank by using his first name, Tony, and tells him that humans deserve compassion, before walking home on his own. They make up, however, and end up at Kelly's wedding drunk, attempting to ridicule her and Alan. They wake up in a forest after passing out, and go home. Dale Martin apologizes for lashing out at Will and shakes his hand. Will and Tony go to the latter's apartment; Will tells Tony about his experience with a friend who died while battling in Iraq, and how he feels his bravery is meaningless as he could not do anything for him. Will explains a suicide attempt from a hospital window was thwarted from his mind when he saw the sunrise, and after he leaves the room Tony breaks down in tears.
The next day, Olivia decides to move from her house. She tells him that she is going with her son to Louisiana, as Will tells her he is considering staying in the army.
- Ben Foster as Sgt. Will Montgomery
- Woody Harrelson as Capt. Tony Stone
- Samantha Morton as Olivia Pitterson
- Jena Malone as Kelly
- Steve Buscemi as Dale Martin
- Yaya DaCosta as Monica Washington
- Eamonn Walker as LtCol. 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
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. 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.
Box Office
The Messenger premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival before receiving a limited release in North America in 4 theaters. 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.
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 157 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus states, "A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/director Owen Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrleson and Ben Foster." On Metacritic the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Harrelson's performance was subject to considerable praise, leading to Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
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