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The Postman
USA 1997
In 2013, the US consists of isolated communities struggling to recover from World War Three. A loner wanders between villages, performing scenes from Shakespeare. He is conscripted into the marauding army of General Bethlehem. Intrigued by his captive's intransigence, Bethlehem determines to break him, but the man escapes. Finding a mail van and a postman's uniform, he demands entry to the town of Pineview with a bag of letters, claiming to be an official representative of the restored government. He is welcomed as the Postman.
Soon, he recruits postal workers and builds up a network for deliveries. A local girl, Abby, asks him to help her and her husband by impregnating her. The new mood of confidence enrages Bethlehem, who launches an attack on the town of Benning when, inspired by the Postman, its townsfolk refuse him entry. Wounded, the Postman escapes with the help of Abby, now widowed, and she nurses him through a hard winter.
Recovered, he finds the new postal service is flourishing, and he is acclaimed as a folk-hero. But Bethlehem's murderous attacks intensify until, horrified by the carnage, the Postman acknowledges defeat and retreats to a remote town, Bridge City. Forced to return by Bethlehem's capture of Ford, his most loyal supporter, the Postman arranges a final confrontation...