Author: Evan (NY)
"Purple Heart"
Directed By: Oren Moverman
Written By: Patricia McCormick and Oren Moverman
CAST
Matt Duffy - Andrew Garfield
Justin - Branden Nadon
Charlene - Tina Majorino
Wolf - Derek Luke
Liutenant Colonel Fuchs - Vincent Cassel
Marilyn Penn - Tea Leoni
Tagline: Loyalty above all else.
Synopsis:
a bullet entered the small boys chest, there was an explosion, a stray dog sifted through trash, and the call to prayer resonated through the village, then Matt Duffy (Garfield) woke up. He was in the hospital and a doctor told him he had sustained two head injuries in battle. All Matt could remember were flashes of the mission where he had been hurt, but nothing stuck in place. Matt was awarded the purple heart for bravery from Liutenant Colonel Fuchs (Cassel), but still had to spend weeks in the hospital to rehabilitate.
While hospitalized, he was visited almost daily by Justin (Nadon) a younger soldier on his first tour in Iraq, who was eager and relentlessly optimistic. Through conversations with him, Matt learns that Justin had carried him from battle under heavy fire during the attack, and that his adrenaline at the time made it impossible for him to remember anything outside himself. Charlene (Majorino), a tough girl from South Dakota, also visited. She was on his squad, but had become mute since the attack. Doctors saw no damage to her vocal chords, but she just couldn't make herself talk, or maybe she didn't want to.
Matt starts having visions of a small Iraqi boy getting shot in the chest from his location, and feared that he had killed the boy in combat. Matt visited army psychologist Marilyn Penn (Leoni) twice a week, and learned from her that after trauma, the mind sometimes blocks out things it can't handle. Matt believes ha may have killed the boy, but when Liutenant Fuchs speaks with him about the incident, he all but tells Matt that admitting to using gunfire on a civilian without reason would land him in jail. Everyone seems ready to sweep the incident under the rug, and conveniently, nobody in his unit had seen who fired the shot that hit the boy. But, Matt can't let it go.
Over the next month, the unit, consisting of Matt, Justin, Charlene, and Wolf (Luke) return to active duty and begin patrolling the are where the attack had taken place. Wolf is a quiet, somewhat unpredictable person, who Matt believes could be hiding the secret to what happened to the boy during the attack. But when more violence (including Wolf shooting a man in the head for making threatening gestures) begins to help Matt clarify his fractured memories, what he finds there could shake the very foundations of his unit, and put his life in serious danger.
Awards Campaign
Oran Moverman takes his talents across the world to try his hand at the other side of the Iraq war. After directing the incredible, moving film "The Messenger," Moverman follows up with his adaptation of Patricia McCormick's novel "Purple Heart." The film is unique in that it shows the mind of a recently injured soldier after being put back into battle. It's a visceral experience and a compelling portrait of life in a war zone, as well as a great character study and thriller. Unlike many films about wars which are still happening, Moverman's "Purple Heart" doesn't have a political leaning. It's a story about real people, in a real place, facing the terrifying realities of war. The cast is a mix of well know actors, and lesser known ones, but they all do a phenomenal job bringing this story to vivid life. Andrew Garfield plays Matt, the psychologically damaged protagonist who is desperately trying to figure out if he did, or didn't, shoot a small child before sustaining a serious, brain altering head injury. Garfield gives an understated performance, especially when we starts suspecting a member of his unit, Wolf, of foul play. Branden Nadon, best known for his heartbreaking role in the canadian 2001 film "Jet Boy," is wonderful as an energetic soldier who isn't trigger happy, but is brave, smart, and a breath of relief amongst darker, moodier characters. He should certainly be remembered come oscar time. Derek Luke of "Friday Night Lights" and "Notorious" fame is wickedly good as Wolf, a wild an unpredictable soldier with a violent nature and a possible murderous streak. Luke pulls off the character perfectly. The surprise, however, is the effectiveness ex child-star Tina Majorino is at showing all her feelings with her expressions. Much like Rinku Kikuchi in "Babel," Majorino can show everything she feels with her eyes. With all of the competition for support actress this year, I wouldn't be surprised if Majorino went lead in the Oscar race. The film is really an ensemble, and if any second actor was to go lead, she would be it. Her innocent portrayal of an angel stuck in war is stirring, and deserves recognition. "Purple Heart" has a brutal message at its core, but it's thrilling, dramatic, and violent exterior make it an insanely likable film, and one of the bravest and best of the year.
FYC
Best Actor - Andrew Garfield
Best Actress - Tina Majorino
Best Supporting Actor - Branden Nadon
Best Supporting Actor - Derek Luke
Best Director - Oren Moverman
Best Adapted Screenplay - Patricia McCormick and Oren Moverman
BEST PICTURE
and
all applicable categories
"Purple Heart"
Directed By: Oren Moverman
Written By: Patricia McCormick and Oren Moverman
CAST
Matt Duffy - Andrew Garfield
Justin - Branden Nadon
Charlene - Tina Majorino
Wolf - Derek Luke
Liutenant Colonel Fuchs - Vincent Cassel
Marilyn Penn - Tea Leoni
Tagline: Loyalty above all else.
Synopsis:
a bullet entered the small boys chest, there was an explosion, a stray dog sifted through trash, and the call to prayer resonated through the village, then Matt Duffy (Garfield) woke up. He was in the hospital and a doctor told him he had sustained two head injuries in battle. All Matt could remember were flashes of the mission where he had been hurt, but nothing stuck in place. Matt was awarded the purple heart for bravery from Liutenant Colonel Fuchs (Cassel), but still had to spend weeks in the hospital to rehabilitate.
While hospitalized, he was visited almost daily by Justin (Nadon) a younger soldier on his first tour in Iraq, who was eager and relentlessly optimistic. Through conversations with him, Matt learns that Justin had carried him from battle under heavy fire during the attack, and that his adrenaline at the time made it impossible for him to remember anything outside himself. Charlene (Majorino), a tough girl from South Dakota, also visited. She was on his squad, but had become mute since the attack. Doctors saw no damage to her vocal chords, but she just couldn't make herself talk, or maybe she didn't want to.
Matt starts having visions of a small Iraqi boy getting shot in the chest from his location, and feared that he had killed the boy in combat. Matt visited army psychologist Marilyn Penn (Leoni) twice a week, and learned from her that after trauma, the mind sometimes blocks out things it can't handle. Matt believes ha may have killed the boy, but when Liutenant Fuchs speaks with him about the incident, he all but tells Matt that admitting to using gunfire on a civilian without reason would land him in jail. Everyone seems ready to sweep the incident under the rug, and conveniently, nobody in his unit had seen who fired the shot that hit the boy. But, Matt can't let it go.
Over the next month, the unit, consisting of Matt, Justin, Charlene, and Wolf (Luke) return to active duty and begin patrolling the are where the attack had taken place. Wolf is a quiet, somewhat unpredictable person, who Matt believes could be hiding the secret to what happened to the boy during the attack. But when more violence (including Wolf shooting a man in the head for making threatening gestures) begins to help Matt clarify his fractured memories, what he finds there could shake the very foundations of his unit, and put his life in serious danger.
Awards Campaign
Oran Moverman takes his talents across the world to try his hand at the other side of the Iraq war. After directing the incredible, moving film "The Messenger," Moverman follows up with his adaptation of Patricia McCormick's novel "Purple Heart." The film is unique in that it shows the mind of a recently injured soldier after being put back into battle. It's a visceral experience and a compelling portrait of life in a war zone, as well as a great character study and thriller. Unlike many films about wars which are still happening, Moverman's "Purple Heart" doesn't have a political leaning. It's a story about real people, in a real place, facing the terrifying realities of war. The cast is a mix of well know actors, and lesser known ones, but they all do a phenomenal job bringing this story to vivid life. Andrew Garfield plays Matt, the psychologically damaged protagonist who is desperately trying to figure out if he did, or didn't, shoot a small child before sustaining a serious, brain altering head injury. Garfield gives an understated performance, especially when we starts suspecting a member of his unit, Wolf, of foul play. Branden Nadon, best known for his heartbreaking role in the canadian 2001 film "Jet Boy," is wonderful as an energetic soldier who isn't trigger happy, but is brave, smart, and a breath of relief amongst darker, moodier characters. He should certainly be remembered come oscar time. Derek Luke of "Friday Night Lights" and "Notorious" fame is wickedly good as Wolf, a wild an unpredictable soldier with a violent nature and a possible murderous streak. Luke pulls off the character perfectly. The surprise, however, is the effectiveness ex child-star Tina Majorino is at showing all her feelings with her expressions. Much like Rinku Kikuchi in "Babel," Majorino can show everything she feels with her eyes. With all of the competition for support actress this year, I wouldn't be surprised if Majorino went lead in the Oscar race. The film is really an ensemble, and if any second actor was to go lead, she would be it. Her innocent portrayal of an angel stuck in war is stirring, and deserves recognition. "Purple Heart" has a brutal message at its core, but it's thrilling, dramatic, and violent exterior make it an insanely likable film, and one of the bravest and best of the year.
FYC
Best Actor - Andrew Garfield
Best Actress - Tina Majorino
Best Supporting Actor - Branden Nadon
Best Supporting Actor - Derek Luke
Best Director - Oren Moverman
Best Adapted Screenplay - Patricia McCormick and Oren Moverman
BEST PICTURE
and
all applicable categories