The Messenger

New on the radar (for me, anyway), The Messenger gets our attention on the basis of an interesting cast (Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone), and the two Golden Bears it won at the Berlin International Film Festival for Best Screenplay and the Peace Film Award. IMDb says it’s about, “an American soldier who struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer.” Screen Daily says:

Ben Foster is a revelation here, carrying the film and delivering his first true adult performance after a string of youthful turns in 3:10 To Yuma, X-Men: The Last Stand and Alpha Dog. He plays Will Montgomery, a staff sergeant decorated for heroism in Iraq, who has three months left on his army contract when he is assigned to be a Casualty Notification Officer. Reluctantly paired with the colourful and salty captain Tony Stone (Harrelson), he learns the techniques and hazards of the job – encountering everything from rage to violence to vomiting in the unfortunate NOK (next of kin)…

Harrelson gives one of his best performances as the army lifer Stone, a likeable sort behind the bravado, and Morton is excellent as always as the gentle widow, although some of the dialogue Moverman gives them borders on the affected, such as Olivia telling Ben that her late husband’s shirt smelt of ‘fear and rage’.