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As a rule, I’m generally pretty wary of films that tackle pressing issues that are currently major headlines in the news. The subject matter is often so fresh, so exhaustively covered, that I find it sometimes hard for film-makers to bring a new perspective to it. Or the films can feel well-intentioned but reductive. This is why it took me so long to get around to watching The Messenger.
Well, shame on me for waiting. While not a perfect movie, The Messenger is an incredibly well-made character study of two men who have the awful job of telling the loved ones of fallen soldiers the bad news. No one wants that job, and the film does a pretty solid job of exploring the various reactions that bereaved loved ones are capable of having. Steve Buscemi has a minor role as the father of a dead solider, and his anger and grief are palpable, only growing in strength and intensity as he follows them back to their car. Others break down, and Samantha Morton’s widow has the most curious reaction, which we will come back to later on.
After being injured in combat, a young soldier (Ben Foster) is reassigned to Casualty Notification Division where he meets an older officer who has been doing the job for a long time (Woody Harrelson). The Messenger mostly follows their dynamic as Foster tries to help and readjust to civilian life. While informing Morton that her husband has died in combat, she thanks them, appears to not react, and is extremely polite. Foster is fascinated by this woman, and their strange semi-romance takes on a major part of the rest of the film.
I appreciated that the film decided to eschew politics of war in favor of examining people, but the romance aspect of The Messenger was troublesome to me. While everything else in the film feels authentic, the romance feels underdeveloped, like a few scenes bridging the transition from Foster trying to figure out why Morton’s character initially appeared resigned to the news to becoming a new possible romantic partner are missing. But Morton and Foster work well together, generating a real life chemistry. Slightly awkward, frightened to reach out to someone else and try to forge a connection, they feel like two real, damaged people trying to regain their emotional footing during a transitional period of time.
While this piece of the story, which takes over a good portion of the second half, feels a little strained, the rest works beautifully. And much of that credit needs to go to the three main actors. Foster, an underrated talent, gives a quiet but powerful performance. The role could have easily offered him a chance to showboat, but Foster sidesteps that obvious choice. Harrelson deservedly got a second career Oscar nomination, and his interplay with Foster creates a unique spin on the mentor-student relationship. Harrelson gets plenty of moments to rage, but it’s the humor that he uses to deal with the tragedy surrounding his life resonates strongly. And Morton, another undervalued performer, is quietly heartbreaking and poetic. The Messenger is a film about the Iraq war that prefers to look at the people back home, and this choices makes for an intense and rewarding experience. It’s a moment of human connection, and we could all use more of that.
