The Messenger (2009)

 

               “The Messenger” is a film directed by Oren Moverman. It was his directorial debut. He also co-wrote the screenplay. He was inspired to make the movie after pondering the unseen aspects of the Iraq War. Specifically, he was upset about President George W. Bush’s ban on pictures of soldier’s coffins returning to America. The film had a low budget, but did not recoup its cost. It was critically acclaimed and was lauded at a bunch of film festivals. Woody Harrelson got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and also a Golden Globes nomination. The original screenplay by Moverman and Alessandro Camon had an Oscar nomination. The movie was on several critics’ top ten lists for 2009 films.

               Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is back in the States after being wounded in Iraq. He is suffering from PTSD and an eye injury. And he is depressed because his girl did not wait for him to come home. At this low moment in his life he is assigned to Casualty Notification. It’s unclear whether his commanding officer doesn’t like him, but it is the type of job you would give your worst enemy. Montgomery will be working with Captain Tony Stone (Harrelson). Stone explains to Montgomery and the audience about how the system works. There are strict rules for how to handle breaking the news to a loved one. For instance, there is to be no physical contact with the grieving person. You can’t even hug them. And you better be prepared for any of a variety of reactions to the terrible news you deliver. To show the variety, the movie has them making six notifications. In one, the wife and mother are so distraught that the mother slaps Stone. He does not respond because he knows this is a common reaction. In another, a father throws things at Montgomery and asks “Why aren’t you there? Why aren’t you dead? Fucking coward!” By the time they get to the sixth one, you will feel that any job in the Army has to be better than this. To avoid being a total downer, the script has Montgomery develop a relationship with a widow. The other relationship the movie explores is the relationship between Stone and Montgomery. Not surprisingly, they don’t get along at first. Montgomery has been hardened by his job and Montgomery does not want to be doing it. The men gradually bond as you would expect.

               I watched this movie for Memorial Day and it certainly fits the day. There have been other movies about fallen heroes, like “Taking Chance” and “Gardens of Stone”. And we have the famous scene in “Saving Private Ryan” when the Army vehicle pulls up to Mrs. Ryan’s house. But we have not had a movie that deals with the notification process and its effects on the officers who have to perform the task.The closest we have come is “We Were Soldiers” with its scenes where Mrs. Moore delivers the telegrams to her friends.  Ironically, I found that I had more of a reaction to the notification of soldiers’ deaths than I have had for most of the movies I have seen that show soldiers dying. War movie lovers seldom see the aftermath of those deaths. Seeing how people react to the unexpected horrible news that will knock their lives off track makes one wonder how you might react under those circumstances. Would you be strong like the man who learns of his daughter’s death or would you break down? How would you treat the men who told you the terrible news? The movie is very thought-provoking.

               It benefits from the pairing of Harrelson and Foster. They are both excellent. The pair are in virtually every scene together. They develop their characters in their car rides and their trips to bars. Both have flawed personalities, but they both take their job seriously. Both are suffering from PTSD. Stone has PTSD, not from war experiences (he is haunted by his not being in combat), but from his job. The Casualty Notification department offers counseling for the aggrieved, but I wonder if they have counseling for the notifiers. They should. It’s a very stressful job.

               “The Messenger” is a better movie than “Taking Chance” and “Gardens of Stone”. It is a movie that is anti-war, but with a different argument for why war is terrible. You see the reactions of loved ones to the loss of a husband or child in a war that did not have to be fought. (That’s my opinion. The movie does not take a stance on the war.) And you can’t watch this movie without feeling empathy for the men who have to perform this soul-crushing duty. Unlike “We Were Soldiers”, Stone and Montgomery are strangers delivering the news to people they don’t know, but people who will haunt their memories. As they do theirs.

GRADE  =  B

               Here is my list of the top ten movies appropriate for Memorial Day.

10. The Story of G.I. Joe– this movie includes the famous death of Captain Waskow (Walker in the film)

9.  84 Charlie MoPic – a long range patrol in Vietnam is whittled down by the enemy

8. Bataan – a classic last stand by a heterogeneous squad in WWII

7.  Gardens of Stone– focuses on the men who are in charge of interment at Arlington National Cemetery during the Vietnam War

6.  Taking Chance -  a Marine is tasked with returning a body to the man’s family

5.  Last Flag Flying -  a trio of Vietnam War veterans bring one of their son’s bodies back home

4. The Messenger

3. The Last Full Measure – an government official gathers information on the heroism of a medic who is nominated for the Medal of Honor

2.  Lone Survivor – a special forces team faces enormous odds in Afghanistan when their mission is blown and they must try to survive (Ben Foster is one of the men)

1. Glory – this fantastic movie concludes with the burying of Col. Shaw and many of his men

 

BTW the movie “Memorial Day” is not a good movie.