The Messenger

original title:
The Messenger
other titles:
(The Messenger - Die letzte Nachricht), Le messager
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original length:
113 min. , color
premiere:
19 January 2009 (Sundance Film Festival)
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plot synopsis:
After he was seriously injured during a combat mission in the Iraq war, Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery returns home to the USA. Now the highly-decorated war hero has to serve the three months left on his enlistment on the “home front”. He is assigned to the Casualty Notification Team: Under the mentorship of senior officer Captain Tony Stone, he has to inform relatives of the death of their loved ones killed in action. While Stone strightly insists on the adherence of the service regulations, keeping the distance to the grieving relatives, no hugging or physical contact and no fraternizing, it is difficult for Will to abide by this rules. Risking Tony`s confidence, he forges a connection with the young widow Olivia, to which he brought the message of her husband`s death before. Will`s pangs of conscience and the experiences, with which he and Stone are confronted during the execution of their duties, lead both men up to the limits of their psychological capacity.
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Beside other awards, “The Messenger” was honored with the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Screenplay (Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon) and with the Peace Film Award (Oren Moverman) on the Berlin International Filmfestival in 2009.

Furthermore the film received two OSCAR nominations in the categories “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Woody Harrelson) and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon).
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