Oscilloscope Laboratories announced that it has acquired North America distribution rights to award-winning screenwriter Oren Moverman’s (I’M NOT THERE, MARRIED LIFE) directorial debut, THE MESSENGER, co-written by Moverman and Alessandro Camon, which is a powerful and tender story about a returned war hero making his first steps towards a normal life. THE MESSENGER had its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won the Silver Bear award for Best Screenplay and the Peace Film Award at the 2009 Berlinale Film Festival. Oscilloscope will release the film in theaters in November 2009 in connection with awards campaigns for actors Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, director Oren Moverman and co-writer Alessandro Camon.
In his first leading role, Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband’s death, Will’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.
Featuring tour-de-force performances from Foster, Harrelson and Morton, and a brilliant directorial debut by Moverman, THE MESSENGER brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity.
Adam Yauch, head of Oscilloscope Laboratories said, “This is an amazing directorial debut. Oren has created a film that is so sincere that I believe war protesters, as well as those who are in the military, will identify with it. Both Woody and Ben are incredible, giving performances that blew me away.”