Hey Kids, exciting news here at WhatMakesJeffyRun. Starting today, I will be writing periodic movie reviews for the awesome LA website FilmRadar.com. Film Radar is run by the one and only Karie Bible, whose passion for movies knows no bounds. Her site provides a great service to Angelenos by keeping track of the many many indie, revival, and specialty films that are playing in our area from week to week. When she sent out an email asking for help adding additional content to the site, I humbly offered my services. My first review for the site is reprinted here below. After you read it, find the movie, and see it. You won't be sorry.
Film Review: The Messenger
By Jefferson Root
Screenwriter Oren Moverman has collaborated on several of the most acclaimed American Independent films of the last 10 years. He co-wrote 1999's Jesus'Son, and more recently worked with Todd Haynes on his bold Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There. Moverman's directorial debut, "The Messenger", also shows that he has an equal affinity for choosing images. The picture opens in close up on a shot of lead actor Ben Foster's face, as a single tear rolls down his cheek. The camera pulls back to reveal that the tear is caused by a regimen of eyedrops, applied as a treatment for wounds sustained on the battlefield, but it also sets the stage for the sad and gripping story about to unfold.
"The Messenger" is the story of Will Montgomery (Foster) a young vet wounded in the current Iraq war, who has been sent statestide to serve out the remainder of his enlistment. He soon learns that instead of coasting through his last three months as an auto shop instructor, that he will be performing one of the most critical and excruciating tasks the army has to offer: informing the next of kin (or NOK in the army lingo) that their loved ones have been killed in the war.
Reporting to Capatin Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), Montgomery get a crash course in the ins and outs of grief. Stone, a thrice married veteran of the first Gulf War, fully understands the intensity of their task, and orders his new charge to go strictly by the book. He has a hard, fast list of rules that are not to be broken. Never touch the NOK. Always refer to the deceased by their name. "And if you feel like offering any hugs...don't." To him, their job is strictly a "hit and get operation."
The problem with this advice, of course, is that Military procedure is no match for the power of grief, and as the film depicts a series of notifications, we see that grief begin to work its way through the cracks in Montgomery and Stone and take an inreasingly human toll. This is only magnified when Stone finds himself attracted to Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), a widow who's been left behind with a young son.
As the film draws to it's conclusion, the strict rules of the Military continue to erode, and what we're left with are both the physical and emotional walking wounded, looking for meaningful connections wherever they can find them.
The danger of a movie like "The Messenger" is that it could very easily collapse under the weight of its own subject matter. But Moverman and co-screenwriter Allesandro Camon are able to deftly sidestep this with a pitch perfect cast and just the right amount of black humor sprinkled throughout. Harrelson is especially valuable here. When the two men approach Morton's house to tell her the bad news, we see an idyllic scene of children playing, and mothers hanging up clothes on the line in the afternoon sun. Anticipating the dread that's to come, Montgomery quips, "Could be worse. Could be Christmas." It's hard to imagine another actor that could deliver that line better.
But the real heart of the movie belongs to Foster and Morton. As two people drawn to each other under the worst possible circumstances, the two actors deliver two towering performances of quiet strength and heartbreaking intensity. The sequence in Olivia's kitchen where the two charactere try in vain to get together is one of the most powerful pieces of acting in any film this year. Steve Buscemi and Jena Malone also turn in fine supporting turns, and ultimately the movie never hits a false note.
With two American wars still raging in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thousands of young lives lost but all too rarely mentioned, "The Messenger" couldn't be more timely. It's a film that deserves and demands to be seen.
Co-Screenwriter Allesandro Camon and Producer Lawrence Inglee were present for a Q & A session at the screening I attended and provided further insight into the difficulty a personal film like this had in reaching the screen.
Camon spoke about the film's lengthy development process, during which directors as diverse as Sydney Pollack and Ben Affleck were attached. He spoke highly of Pollack's contributions, many of which ended up in future drafts of the script. Ultimately, the looming WGA strike ended up accelerating the production schedule and afforded co-writer Moverman the oppportunity to make his directing debut.
A question was asked about whether or not the U.S. Army was involved in the production of the film. It turns out that if the Army considers a project to be "realistic" in nature, they're much more selective about the films they approve. Ultimately, "The Messenger" was made with full military cooperation, and they had an Army Advisor, Lt. Col Paul Snyder who worked with them on set every day.
The cooperation of the Army also opened up the use of official military locations for the film, as several scenes were shot at Ft. Dix in New Jersey.
The movie was clearly a labor of love for all involved. When asked how Steve Buscemi was convinced to come on board for such a small role, Inglee quipped that he had "illicit pictures" of the actor, before coming clean and revealing that Buscemi is a good friend of Oren Moverman and just wanted to be part of the project.
"The Messenger" is dedicated to the memories of loved ones lost by the film's cast and crew.
www.filmradar.com
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