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Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Great Film overall

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Since the early 50's war movies have set a precedence of being filled with the war itself, action and brutality. Here we have a war film completely opposite, the war at home of the families left behind when a soldier dies. Oren Moverman has delivered a punch to the gut with the movie that is driven from the notification process to families. A story strongly set up by Ben Foster's character Montgomery, a injured war hero who has only 3 months left on his tenure. He assigned to the Notification detail and has zero experience in how to grieve much less deal. Tremendous performances by Foster, Harrelson and Morton accompany a strong, well written script and musical score. This film will make any person acknowledge the truth and sacrifice of every soldier. Solid, well done film. 7/10

The movie is long. It repeats too much. To see how it affects the character, you do not need to see it so many times. It is a film that if it were shorter would win many points.The actors are very good, but Harrelson is a very good actor, that is not discovering anything new.At least, do not waste time in sex, that's to be grateful. It does well. No need to see what to know what will happen.Photography does not help much. It is not a pretty photograph. It is austere without more.The director, directs characters, but does not see that there is a film left. The plans are basic. It does not place the camera well. He does not know how to narrate with her. It does not bore but it stagnates.It lets itself be seen.

This may be the toughest non-combat task in any army - announcing the families that their dearest ones, son or daughter, husband or wife fell on the line of duty in war. It needs to be done fast, as relatives should learn about the tragedy before the news show in the media, it needs to be done with dignity and sensitivity for the grief of the family, and rules, of course, rules need to be respected. However what rules are worth in such personal and painful moments? And how can the messengers, even if or especially because they are themselves people who have seen combat and faced death, their own and the one of their comrades, cope with this task? These are the key questions asked by The Messenger, a film with excellent premises which has as heroes a team of two of the uniformed soldiers the US army deploys home to pass to families the messages of death.It's quite interesting that this American film about the consequences of the American wars for the people who fight and for the families left home was written by an Israeli and an Italian (Alessandro Camon) and directed by the Israeli - Oren Moverman. Or maybe it is not, at least on what Moverman is concerned. This story could have happened in Israel as well, where quite a number of families have to deal with the loss of their closer family or friends in wars or terror attacks, and where Memorial Day is one very special moment, felt and lived together by the whole nation. Quite amazingly the Israeli cinema has dealt very little until now with this subject, and Moverman, who lives in the US made the film there. The result is The Messenger - a very American and a very universal film at once, one of the most interesting made until now about and against the war in Iraq.At no moment I had the feeling that this is the first long feature film directed by Moverman. As director he masters well the camera moves, alternating traditional and fluent scenes with hand-held camera giving the feeling of reality and passing to viewers the intense dramatic effects when the announcements are being made to the families. The team of actors does a fine job as well, with Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson up to the task of playing the two soldiers with their lives transformed forever by the war even if they survive it, and with Samantha Morton whose work I love every time I see her giving a strong and perfectly restrained performance as the fresh widow who tries to keep hope and make the life go on despite the terrible loss. The big problem of the film is that despite the excellent premises the story does not have enough dramatic tension, so the excellent first half creates expectations that are not well fulfilled in the second half. The story of the fight near the lake, or the incident at the wedding do not fit well and do not add too much to the evolution of the characters. Moreover, the discussions between the two members of the team become suddenly too verbose for people who up to then seemed to be much more used to action than words, and who looked like understanding situations and communicating just by gestures or expression of eyes. The feeling I was left at the end was that The Messenger has a story of big potential, but not fully realized.

Soldiers die in combat and the toughest job is how you inform the next of kin. "The Messenger" explores the subject in an uncomfortable way perhaps demonstrating why killing or being killed is the easy part. This film can be applauded for taking its time to illustrate the tough nature of the task via real time eaves dropping. Bearing and taking the news of a close family loss is every bit as hard as watching someone die. But we stick with this film as it strangely compels you to do.The character flaws of military life are only a small part of this story as it tentatively explores the many cracks in military discipline and the victims it leaves behind. The acting is almost flawless but I do feel the script and screenplay played host to damage rather too much, when the toughness and resilience of the human soul needed to be demonstrated if only fleetingly so. Perhaps in trying to make one point it missed many other opportunities to engage with the human side of being.My criticism of this film is not of what it portrays but with what it misses out.