THE MESSENGER

Title: The Messenger
Director: Oren Moverman
Starring: Ben Foster, Woddy Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone
Rating:3.5/4 stars

I must start with Samantha Morton. I love actresses, and I love realism, and I love raw emotion. I am going to say, with all certainty, that Samantha Morton in The Messenger is my absolute FAVORITE performance by an actress in 2009!!! She was riveting, subtle, heartbreaking and soft. It was a performance of quiet brilliance (whereas my 2nd favorite, Mo'Nique in Precious, was one of loud brilliance.) That said, this movie was beautiful. Its portrayal of a soldier who is assigned to casualty notification has moments that break your heart, and they are plentiful. Foster is stellar, as is Harrelson. I love when a director trusts his actors enough to let them do their thing, and just sit back an watch. In my favorite scene, between Foster and Morton, the camera simply sits still, letting the intimacy reach its full potential. The emotions in every scene are given the chance to flow and fly, and it is a joy to see that. It could easily be a sequel to another great movie of 2009, The Hurt Locker. This is one of those quiet little movies that not many people will see, but everyone should!