Stronger is the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing who became a symbol of hope around the world. Boston Strong.
The bombing at the Boston Marathon took place in 2013 and one picture from the event was spread around the world, that of Jeff Bauman as he was wheeled away with both of his legs blown off. Behind that picture we get to see the rehab he had to do not only to walk again but it actually live again.
Jake Gyllenhaal brilliantly takes on the task of making Jeff's story come to life and in an amazing way as well, possibly his career best performance? (So far of course). It is obviously a tough watch as how do you manage to continue living after experiencing something so awful, being stood with a sign for his on and off again girlfriend Erin who was always annoyed that he never used to turn up. Well the day she was running the Boston Marathon he had turned up!
Tatiana Maslany was equally brilliant as Erin, battling to accept what had happened to Jeff and felt pretty much responsible for it as he was there for her running. The psychological damage it all must have caused them both and their families is something you cannot imagine. That is something the film focuses on as well as the rehab he must go through to be able to walk again.
Boston Strong was something that was then linked to Jeff and he was seen as a beacon of hope for not only the city and US but for the world. He was invited to many events in Boston and this was something that he found to be a real struggle suffering flashbacks from the event when around a lot of people. His mother who appears to be an alcoholic? Nothing was ever confirmed but she was always drinking cannot really understand her son and does not really try to, she wants to keep him in the public eye and seems to focus more on that than helping him get to rehab on time. Played fantastically by Miranda Richardson!
The journey we take whilst watching this film is really something else as it really does break your heart to see what a terror attack does to a person, their family and friends as well as the community. Something that I did love about the film was showing that Jeff had a good sense of humour along with his friends who were always there for him and that seemed to be the best way to deal with the truly awful situation.
The performances are certainly good enough that I am sure we will be seeing nominations for these come Awards season, if not I will be totally shocked. I will admit that throughout I was wondering how they managed to make Gyllenhaal look like he had no legs, I thought that was very impressive. I think this film is important to show just how strong people are and that they will never give up easily!
