After his return from Iraq, Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army staff sergeant on leave, finds that his girlfriend Kelly is engaged to another man. Before he is to be discharged, he is dispatched as a casualty notification officer along with Captain Stone as his mentor. He is told of the importance of his task by Lieutenant Colonel Dorsett as many have failed. Stone then relays the rules of telling next of kin of a tragedy. On the job, their first report to the family prompts the mother to slap Stone, as her family weeps over the loss of her son; a man named Dale Martin is angry when news of his son's death warrants no reason to him; a woman who secretly married an enlisted man without telling her father cries in his arms after learning of the man's death; a Mexican man who is told through a translator about the death of his daughter cries in front of his other child; and a woman named Olivia, is in considerably less pain after learning of her husband's death. Stone suspects it is due to her having an affair. In a bar, Will and Stone discuss their lives to each other. Will talks about his girlfriend rejecting him and tells Stone about his father's death due to drunk driving, along with tales of his estranged mother. Will sees Olivia with her son at a store confronting men attempting to enlist teenagers and dismisses them before offering her a ride. He fixes her car and becomes friends with both her and her young son Matt. After hearing Kelly's voicemail, he punches a hole through his wall in a fit of rage. He arrives at Olivia's house and almost has sex with her before they decide not to; she tells him about how her husband mistreated her and how he abused her son which clears up suspicion of her cheating on him by Stone. When Will comforts a family in a local grocery store after telling them of their son's fate, Stone berates him for it. Will stands up to his rank by using his first name, Tony, and tells him that humans deserve compassion, before walking home on his own. They make up, however, and end up at Kelly's wedding drunk, attempting to ridicule her and Alan. They wake up in a forest after passing out, and go home. Dale Martin apologizes for lashing out at Will and shakes his hand. Will and Tony go to the latter's apartment. Will tells Tony about his experience with a friend who died while battling in Iraq and how he feels his bravery is meaningless as he could not do anything for him; he tells Tony of his attempted suicide attempt from the hospital window that was thwarted when he saw the sunrise. After Will leaves the room Tony breaks down in tears. The next day, Olivia decides to move from her house. She tells him that she is going with her son to Louisiana; Will tells her he is considering staying in the army.
The Messenger marked the directorial debut of Israeli screenwriter and former journalist Oren Moverman. Though Sydney Pollack, Roger Michell, and Ben Affleck were all attached to direct the movie at various times, when those talks fell through, the producers eventually asked Moverman to helm the project. The filmmakers worked closely with the United States Army and the Walter Reed Medical Center to conduct research on military life, and were specifically advised by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Sinor as a technical consultant.
Release
The Messenger premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival before receiving a limited release in North America in 4 theaters. It grossed $44,523 for an average of $11,131 per theater ranking 46th at the box office, and went on to earn $1.1 million domestically and $411,601 internationally for a total of $1.5 million, against its budget of $6.5 million.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 90%, based on 162 reviews, with an average rating of 7.51/10. The site's critical consensus states, "A dark but timely subject is handled deftly by writer/director Owen Moverman and superbly acted by Woody Harrleson and Ben Foster." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Harrelson's performance was subject to considerable praise, leading to Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Awards and Nominations
Top ten lists
The Messenger, upon receiving strong positive reviews from audiences, appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2009.
