“The Messenger” is a 2015 British supernatural horror drama directed by David Blair, and starring Robert Sheehan, Lily Cole, Tamzin Merchant, Joely Richardson, and David O’Hara.
The film follows Jack (played by Robert Sheehan) a troubled soul who claims of seeing the dead people and calls himself the messenger who carries messages from the dead to their loved ones. Others see him as sick and weird. No one believes him since he first starts seeing and talking to his dead father. Even his mother never pays heed to his thoughts. He tries to run away from the dead, but they don’t leave him alone.
Every now and then you see Jack talking to himself, in pubs while drinking, at home while watching television, and even on the road while walking. You think he is too much drunk and disturbed, but that’s the way he is, with an extraordinary sense of seeing the dead. He has no other option but to listen to those dead and help them with their unfinished business.
Well, looking at the plot this seems an interesting and impressive supernatural thriller. Probably, the only thing the film lacks is enough thrill. As far as filmmaking is concerned, BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning British film and television director David Blair very creatively included Jack’s troubled childhood in flashbacks.
Watch the movie trailer of The Messenger
Young Irish actor Robert Sheehan (who featured in the cult TV series Misfits) leads an ensemble supporting cast but very well keeps the film afloat for long even though everything becomes very predictable in the middle. Also featuring Lily Cole and Tamzin Merchant, Sheehan as The Messenger plays the tortured soul very beautifully but somehow the storyline goes without any explanation on those many subplots.
Film Title: The Messenger
Director: David Blair
Starring: Robert Sheehan, Lily Cole, Tamzin Merchant, Joely Richardson, David O’Hara
Released: Sep 2015
The Messenger (2015) – Movie Synopsis
The Messenger is the story of Jack’s last meltdown: a story of frustration and guilt, love and betrayal, family and blame. Unwillingly becoming embroiled in the unfinished business of Mark, a journalist brutally murdered in the local park, and his television presenter wife, Sarah, to whom he’s desperate to say one last goodbye, Jack finds himself getting closer to Sarah, obsessed with passing on Mark’s message. Discovering hidden secrets and lies finally pushes the fragile Jack over the edge but there is hope when his estranged sister, Emma, gets in touch. Jack starts to remember the past they shared and as the memories come flooding back, he confronts the truth about the death of his father.