Review: Stronger

What does it mean to be a hero? Stronger, the new drama directed by David Gordon Green starring Jake Gyllenhaal as 2013 Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman, explores that question with honesty and sensitivity.

Jeff is an ordinary, 28-year-old Boston native. He works at Costco, has a rambunctious family headed by his lioness of a mother Patty (Miranda Richardson), and is trying to get back into the good graces of on-again, off-again girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany), who has broken up with him yet again. Her main issue is that he just doesn't show up. Knowing that she's running in the marathon and eager to prove that he's not a screw-up, he decides to surprise her by creating a banner and cheering her on at the sidelines near the end of the finish line. Just as Erin is nearing the finish line, the first bomb goes off then, a few minutes later, the second. Chaos ensues.

It isn't until the news reports show an image of a wounded Jeff that Erin and his family realise what's happened. Congregating at the hospital, they learn that both his legs have been amputated. When an intubated Jeff awakens and learns what's happened, he asks after Erin, makes a joke about being Gary Sinise's character from Forrest Gump, and then shares that he saw one of the bombers. His description of the latter results in the bomber's capture, and Jeff is hailed as a hero, a moniker he finds an uncomfortable fit. He's just a guy who got both legs blown off, how can he be a symbol of strength when he's still adjusting to his new body and learning to walk again?

Gyllenhaal is nothing less than superlative. One can see him physically receding as more and more scrutiny is placed upon him, whether from the press, the doctors, or his family. There's a familiarity that people suddenly feel towards him, as if he were a son or a brother or a husband. All Jeff wants to do is to be left alone and be with Erin, with whom he's newly reconciled, but everyone just wants to keep the spotlight on him. The myriad of emotions that Jeff feels is masterfully conveyed by Gyllenhaal, who has quietly established himself as arguably the best actor of his generation.

Perhaps one of the more remarkable things about Stronger is its unwillingness to venerate Jeff, who can be selfish, self-centred, and unmotivated to get better. As Erin points out, he's not the only one who was affected - they've all changed their lives to orbit around him and he hasn't even acknowledged the sacrifices they've had to make. One of the emotional highlights of the film finds him reacting terribly to some news from Erin - suddenly all the fears, frustrations and anger he's been holding in boil over and one sees how horribly scared and desperate he is.

Green's direction is straightforward and unsentimental, which adds to the rawness of the proceedings. Whilst Stronger hits all the beats of this type of biopic, it opts to take the less-traveled paths and comes out all the better for it. What does it mean to be a hero? As Jeff and many other survivors prove, to be a hero is not to be invincible. To be a hero is to be human, to keep going even when you don't want to, to offer comfort and hope, and to show up not just for others but for yourself.

Stronger

Directed by: David Gordon Green

Written by: John Pollono; based on the memoir by Jeff Bauman

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Richard Lane Jr., Clancy Brown, Frankie Shaw, Lenny Clarke