It has been sometime since America with its flags of ideals pounced upon the middle east with an unforeseen war. We clearly see the development of popular ideology through cinema since the beginning. As always there has been a shift from justification to fear of loss to unexpected horror to a feeling of pointlessness.
Needless to say, the war in Iraq has given Hollywood a whole new genre of films - The Gulf War Genre. Jarhead, amongst the first ones, was the film continuously rendering an anticipation of unchecked horror. Then years later another brilliant film - The Hurt Locker - comes up, only this time there is rendering of a part of actual horror. Interestingly none of these films really pushed to explore the lives of their protagonists when they are back home. This final touch was added by this year's release 'The Messenger'.
It's a film about an Iraq war hero, who has saved lives of his fellow soldiers in battlefield. He returns home with only weeks left to serve in the army. Immediately after his return he see's his ex-girlfriend and soon is held the responsibility of casualty reporting. As we see through the film, it is not exactly the job one would gladly take up as it needs one to walk up to a Next Of Kin (N.O.K.) and give them a detailed news of the death of their beloved. Our protagonist is stuck in the society with just one friend who is his senior and companion in the casualty reporting. Quite expected out of character building of such films, this friend of our protagonist is loud and vulgar and in very simple words it may be said that he has lost it. He desperately looks out for fun and amusement in drinking and sex. Contrasting him is our protagonist, quite and contemplating, still trying to let go of his ex-girlfriend. While these both brilliantly developed characters go through an intense journey of adjustment, our protagonist falls in love with one of the N.O.K.s, which at first doesn't really seem to work out. As the story progresses we see how these two men with absolutely no other human link left in their lives make new human contacts and learn to come to terms with their past and present. Though it might be expected from both of them to be thankful for having their life spared in the war, as they deliver the news to the families of the death of their sons and husbands and daughters, they never find any reason to be thankful, or at least till the end when they seem to begin making sense of their lives. One of the most pleasant things they develop during this time is the friendship that allows them to express once in a while, and it's through this we discover a dark secret behind our protagonist's refusal to be called a hero.
This film seems to have moved away from the horrors of the war to the horrors of home. Though there is not even a single shot of the middle east, the film is essentially what I have termed as The Gulf War Film for its feel of lingering discomfort and, rather than actual, its portrayal of psychological and emotional horror.
Though the film very effectively analyses the pathos of human beings related to the war, the subjects to the analysis remain American soldiers and their families. Other than my appreciation of the films brilliance, I long to see a film rendering the lives of innocent population stuck in the war zone. This stage might take a long time appear in films, as for now national loss is what Hollywood is concerned with, whatever the war has made out of the war ridden areas will be subject of grief later. Anyway, in films like The Messenger, the subject conveys more meaning than at first might appear. This film should not be judged in any way for its ideology, but for its excellent cinematic value. Once you get involved in the film, the sounds, the screenplay, the empty shots, all will start making sense.
