I was initially unsure what to make of the surreal vibes niggling at the edges of ABC TV’s adaptation of Markus Zusak’s mystery novel The Messenger, about 19-year-old Ed (William McKenna) who starts receiving playing cards inscribed with addresses, each pointing him towards a problem to solve, or a wrong to right. The vibes are humorously offbeat from the first scene, in which Ed foils a robbery by snatching the thief’s gun – prompting the criminal to snarl at him: “You’re a dead man, Ed Kennedy.” How did the robber know his name? And where did the ace of diamonds card with those addresses come from?
In another production these might be core mysteries, but here they slip into the background: we come to accept that there’s something a little off about the fabric of this universe. It took me a little bit to get accustomed to The Messenger’s idiosyncratic rhythms, but soon I relished returning to this world, which is not exactly dreamlike but obviously not quite right. There’s a strange alchemy between setting and character. The former is a small town, supposedly based in the present moment but with little things suggesting otherwise: Ed drives a retro-looking cab and plays cards rather than video games with his friends, Audrey (Alexandra Jensen), Ritchie (Kartanya Maynard) and Marv (Chris Ailoso).
There are inferences that the protagonist might be a little non compos mentis, hallucinatory point-of-view shots occasionally displaying things that aren’t there. Ed is the kind of character sometimes described as an “antihero”, charmingly brought to life by McKenna with an aloof, distractible, sleepy-eyed energy; his performance has the vibes of a young Ben Mendelsohn, from the era of The Year My Voice Broke and The Big Steal. When Ed asks his mother about the meaning of an obscure-sounding quote, mum’s response tells us she’s been here before: “What it means is my son’s up to his usual nonsensical bullshit.”
If Ed’s head is a little foggy, at least he knows where to go: those mysterious addresses. At the first resides an elderly lady who mistakes him for somebody from her past called Jimmy. Before long Ed is delivering her flowers and the pair are partaking in some intergenerational smooching – the domain of Harold and Maude, via some Amélie-esque small acts of kindness. Things get darker at the second address, home of an abusive husband; at the third, Ed follows a young runner who mistakes him for a stalker. By the fourth episode (the first four form the extent of this review) Ed is building confidence and embracing his hero-ish status, telling a priest: “That’s why I’m here – I help people.”
Marv is the show’s goofiest and most lighthearted character, summing up Ed’s encounters as “a lonely old lady who you kissed better, a rapey bad guy, and a running girl who kicked you in the nuts”. The directors (Daniel Nettheim, Helena Brooks and Jennifer Leacey) and screenwriters (Sarah Lambert, Kim Wilson, Kirsty Fisher and Magda Wozniak) deftly balance comedy and drama, creating a subtle and strange quirkiness. The vibes get neo-noirish at times, with a moody YA energy reminiscent of Rian Johnson’s 2005 film Brick, but more laid-back and Australian.
A retro flavour is baked into the show’s aesthetic. Cinematographer Geoffrey Hall, whose oeuvre includes Chopper, The Tourist and Red Dog: True Blue, uses images that are faded, like timeworn photographs, and the production, set and costume design have a musty, almost mildewy texture. The Messenger is far from flashy, but it is sprinkled with moments of interesting visuality: for instance, shots of playing cards floating around in the air, engaged in a kind of surreal dance.
The plotting and structure is lean and uncluttered, without fancy flashbacks, flashforwards or other embellishments. The writers and directors trust in the nature and strength of the story and the cast, allowing scenes to breathe while keeping things progressing at a good pace. Australian film and television is littered with quirky small-town stories, but this one is different, with a downbeat stoner-like charm all its own.
The Messenger is on ABC and ABC iView on Sundays at 8.20pm
