On April 15, 2013, the Boston Marathon bombing rained absolute terror on the lives of those standing at the finish line, cheering their loved ones on.
The double bombings near the finish line of the marathon killed three people and injured at least 264.
Jeffrey Bauman was one of the 264 and Stronger is his story of survival.
Well-known actor Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the film, playing Bauman while Tatiana Maslany lands the role of Erin Hurley, Bauman’s on-again, off-again ex-girlfriend.
Both actors give stunning performances, capturing as much mental and physical pain as they possibly could of real life Bauman and Hurley, even though they can never truly stack up to what Bauman, Hurley, and thousands of others had to go through following the bombing.
The film takes you through the heart-wrenching journey of Bauman and the struggles he endured after going through an amputation above the knee on both of his legs as a result of standing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon during the bombing.
As Bauman spirals down a slope of alcoholism and neglect of his posttraumatic stress disorder, he’s able to turn his life around after Hurley leaves him due to his negative reaction to her pregnancy and he meets the man who saved him, Carlos Arredondo.
Bauman begins to realize how much he’s helping the people around him at the Red Sox game where he throws the first pitch alongside Arredondo.
After the game, Bauman is crowded by Red Sox fans, one of which is a man by the name of Lenny Clarke. Clarke explains how Bauman’s story has impacted him as the brother of a U.S. Marine who died due to an IED.
After his brief conversation with Clarke, Bauman goes on to talk to a multitude of people at the stadium and each person tells him how he has positively affected their lives. This is when Bauman truly understands how much of an impact he has had and that he is a hero in an unconventional manner.
While he may not have been the one to save people at the bombing himself, he was able to provide a figure for the people of Boston and the people of the United States to look to in their search for hope.
Stronger goes beyond the idea of the terrorist hunt following the bombing and delves into the story of one man who was affected by this attack and that can be credited to the success of this movie.
As the film’s credits began to roll, the overwhelming theme of the movie is to treat every day like it may be your last and to not take anything for granted.
Overall, I found that the structure, story, and the cinematography used in the film, Stronger, absolutely made the movie one to remember and I would totally recommend you see this amazing film yourself.
