Many films are about the disastrous violence war wages upon countries and body parts, but the damage it does to the psyche is often left by the wayside.
In The Messenger, directed by Oren Moverman, young Staff Sgt. Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is given a new assignment upon returning home from Iraq; he must work for the Army's casualty notification service with Capt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), notifying people that their loved ones have died during battle.
Such a job proves to be more draining on the soldiers than any hand-to-hand combat. Capt. Stone battles loneliness and despair by trolling bars for local barmaids and falling off the AA wagon by swilling beers with Will.
Will experiences similar pangs of regret and loneliness when he receives an engagement party invitation from his former high school sweetheart, Kelly. That is, until he inexplicably becomes attracted to one of the woman he must visit for his job, Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), when he must notify her and her young son that her husband has been killed in battle.
In addition to the touching storyline, the film and cinematography are well done. Scenes are sparse and minimalistic with little background music or noise; the film requires the viewer to read between the lines when only a few glances and fewer words are exchanged. This allows it to seem more realistic when a violent scene is portrayed and more genuine when a touching moment appears on screen.
As with the plot, the style of this portrayal is quite unusual compared to the usual grandiose shots and scenes often displayed in movies about soldiers and war and as a result, really draws the audience in.
While technically released in the United States on Nov. 13, the movie will officially begin showing at the Athena Uptown today.
- Kelly Kettering is a senior studying Journalism. In case this whole college thing doesn't work out, please feel free to send her an application to join the Army at kk150206@ohiou.edu
3 Culture
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