Watch The Messenger

The Messenger is a 2015 drama film about a young woman named Jack who is assigned to deliver death notifications to families of soldiers killed in action. The film stars Erin Byne as Jack, Dominik Eulberg as her love interest and fellow soldier, and Bill Evans as one of the grieving family members. Directed by Oren Moverman, the film was critically acclaimed for its emotional depth and strong performances.

The movie opens with a montage of soldiers preparing for deployment, intercut with scenes of their families and loved ones saying goodbye. The atmosphere is tense and emotional, setting the stage for the rest of the film. After a particularly harrowing deployment, Jack returns home and is assigned to the Casualty Notification team. Her job is to visit the families of fallen soldiers and inform them of their loved one's death. It's a difficult and emotionally draining job, and Jack struggles to maintain her composure as she delivers the devastating news.

The crux of The Messenger is the relationship between Jack and another soldier named Tony (played by Ben Foster). Tony is a seasoned veteran of the notification team, and he takes Jack under his wing, showing her the ropes and trying to help her cope with the difficult job. As they work together, they develop a deep connection and become romantically involved. Their relationship gives the film a much-needed counterbalance to the heavy themes of death and grief.

Throughout the movie, we see Jack and Tony visiting various families and delivering the heartbreaking news of a loved one's death. Each scene is sensitively portrayed, with the camera often lingering on the faces of the grieving family members. These scenes are incredibly powerful, reminding us of the sacrifices that soldiers and their families make for our country. The Messenger does an excellent job of humanizing the soldiers and their families, showing us the everyday people behind the statistics.

One of the most impressive things about The Messenger is the way it handles its subject matter. The film is never exploitative or manipulative, and it never feels like it's trying to milk the audience's emotions. Instead, it's a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of grief and loss. The film also touches on themes of PTSD, survivor's guilt, and the difficulty of transitioning back to civilian life after serving in the military.

The performances in The Messenger are uniformly excellent. Erin Byne is a revelation as Jack, perfectly capturing the character's stoicism and vulnerability. Ben Foster is also excellent as Tony, bringing a wounded intensity to the role. The supporting cast is also strong, with Samantha Morton and Woody Harrelson both turning in memorable performances as grieving family members.

The film's direction by Oren Moverman is also worth noting. Moverman uses a handheld camera to create an intimate, documentary-like feel, which is further enhanced by the naturalistic performances from the cast. The film is also beautifully shot, with a muted color palette that lends a sense of melancholy to the proceedings.

Overall, The Messenger is a powerful and moving film that explores the human cost of war. It's not an easy movie to watch, but it's a necessary one. The film is a poignant reminder that behind every soldier who dies in combat, there is a family left behind to mourn their loss. It's a film that will stay with you long after it's over, and one that deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

The Messenger is a 2015 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 41 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.4 and a MetaScore of 76.