THE MESSENGER
There aren’t too many movies about war and its aftermath that I would just jump to see, or recommend to others. Nor, in this season where I’m seeing two or three Oscar contenders a week, are there movies that I jump to say: Put this one on the shortlist for Best Picture.
“The Messenger,” however, is both of those things.
If you believe, and indulge me with this for a second, that war and fighting and killing, is the stuff of maleness. And crying and emotion and reaching out to others is the stuff of femaleness, this movie strives to bring both sides together, if you will.
The premise is simply this: decorated war hero (Ben Foster) in his last three months of duty, gets tasked with informing families of their son or daughter’s death. He is assisted in his task by his superior (Woody Harrelson), who’s been doing this awhile, and is inured to it.
Comment is made that “up until Vietnam” they used to send telegrams. Now, they have servicemen in their uniforms deliver the bad news. With a canned prepared speech. They are instructed not to touch the “NOKs” (Next of Kin). Just deliver and leave.
So, in this subtle way, it lets you know that Oh By the Way, there are people dying in this “war” and lots of them. Also subtly showing you that military men don’t really know from emotion.
Ben Foster in a You Can Hand Him the Oscar Right Now type of performance does superb work as the sergeant tasked with this ominous duty. Woody Harrelson is also really great in his role, and Samantha Morton, who is wonderful in everything, really delivers in a supporting role. Steve Buscemi also appears, showing far more emotion than I’ve ever seen in any of the 1000s of movies I’ve seen him in.
It’s also very jarring (to me anyway) when Foster’s character gets called by his name for the first time in the very last scene of the movie. Jarring, yet extremely fitting. That little touch, and there are so many of them throughout, speaks volumes.
It is sad, heartbreaking even, well structured, thoughtful and moving piece of filmmaking about the Iraq war. I highly recommend it to everyone.