The Messenger

A soldier back wounded from Iraq is assigned to the unit that notifies families of a death. He is paired with a sergeant who has done the job for years and lays out the rules: no touching, no comment, do not go inside. The film gives each notification in a single unbroken shot, so the viewer cannot get through the door either. The narrative is really about what these two men do with their own losses; there is no combat. It is Oren Moverman's first film. Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson lead, and Harrelson was nominated for an Academy Award. Who it's for: those who like films that tell the war at home rather than at the front. Who it's not for: viewers wanting plot; it proceeds scene by scene and offers no resolution.