Don't (Not See) The Messenger
Wed., Nov. 25 2009 @ 10:10AM
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The Messenger, which earned widespread critical raves (Ridley weighed in here), centers on two army officers who do "casualty notification"--the grim task of showing up at someone's door to share the news that a loved one has been killed or wounded in a theater of war. Emotionally wrenching premise? No question, but there's redemption and even a delicate dose of sweetness tossed into the mix. As The New Yorker's David Denby put it, this film is a "fully felt, morally alert, marvelously acted piece of work."
Many no doubt prefer to orient their holiday film going around more upbeat themes, and who can argue with that? But on a Thanksgiving that finds a president about to ask Americans to get behind putting tens of thousands more U.S. troops in harm's way in Afghanistan, The Messenger is the film that demands to be seen before it--like the hopes and dreams of a person whose "casualty" elicits "notification"--vanishes.
Correction: The original version of this post incorrectly stated that the film was being pulled from distribution, which is not the case. Its run has been curtailed here, but not necessarily elsewhere.
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