Stronger
“Stronger stops short of authentic casting but manages to present Jeff Bauman’s story with sensitivity and realism.”
Title: Stronger (2017)
Director: David Gordon Green 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writers: Screenplay by John Pollono 👨🏼🇺🇸 based on the book by Jeff Bauman 👨🏼🇺🇸 and Bret Witter 👨🏼🇺🇸
Reviewed by Andrew 👨🏻🇺🇸🌈
Note: This review was commissioned by Lionsgate. The content and methodology remain 100% independent and in line with Mediaversity's non-commissioned reviews.
—SPOILERS AHEAD—
Technical: 3.25/5
It’s an unnerving product of our times that an entire genre of movies exists about terrorist attacks in the United States. Just as unfortunate is the way these movies tend to be bombastic action thrillers that replace the true human tragedy of these events with showy chase scenes and overdramatic patriotism.
Refreshingly, Stronger bucks this trend. It focuses on the true story of Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal), who while waiting to cheer on his ex-girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany), is critically injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and loses both his legs. Gyllenhall puts in a formidable performance, playing Jeff with nuanced pathos and warmth as a self-deprecating, hard-not-to-love local from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. He is surrounded by family members who encapsulate the Boston townie stereotype as hard-drinking, foul-mouthed, die-hard Sox fans. The majority of the film is spent on Jeff’s story of recovery and the emotional effects of trauma, not only on Jeff but on everyone who surrounds him. Most affected by it are the other two leads of the movie, his mother Patty (Miranda Richardson) and Erin, who ends up reconciling and living with Jeff.
As the title suggests, Stronger features ample scenes about Jeff’s arduous physical training. However, Stronger shines best when it delves into Jeff’s emotions: ambivalence towards his new “hero” status; feelings of worthlessness due to the loss of his legs; and his struggle to figure out his future. It’s these complicated moments that make the film compelling, seeing Jeff routinely stopped in public by strangers who recognize him and ask for his photo. He even gets an interview request from Oprah. All this attention seems to delight his family, but only seems to make Jeff feel more undeserving and uncomfortable with his disability. His unease and journey to reconcile his new reality drives the main conflict in Stronger.
Despite a promising start, however, the film rushes the ending. Jeff eventually reaches what seems to be rock bottom, dragging himself across the parking lot of their apartment building after he and Erin fight. But from there, the movie suddenly wraps up in less than half an hour. This feels disappointing as the film had done much to carefully build the story and tension, only to have all the loose ends tied up with a pat montage of Jeff’s recovery.
Gender: 2.75/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES
Patty and Erin drive one of the main sub-plots. They are pitted as opposites and uneasy adversaries throughout the movie—two women forced to work together to care for Jeff. For Patty, a single mother with her own emotional problems and a dependency on alcohol, this is a challenge. Erin, meanwhile, assumes the role of Jeff’s carer out of obligation as much as it seems out of love. Even though they comprise one of the climactic scenes of the film, in which Erin astutely remarks that Jeff needs to realize that it’s not only him that’s been traumatized but everyone around him, too, their argument still centers on Jeff. This is emblematic of one of the biggest problems with the film. While Patty and Erin are deeply engaging characters, their conversations (or arguments) are nearly all about Jeff.
On top of this, in the movie’s rush to wrap up the plot, Erin’s misgivings about her future with Jeff are never truly addressed. They simply meet at a diner where Jeff holds her hand and tells her that he loves her. Then, before you know it, the credits roll as you are shown an image of them kissing at the Boston Marathon three years later. Given that the movie had done a lot to dramatize Erin’s internal doubts about her relationship with Jeff, it feels strange to not have spent more time resolving these issues from her perspective.
Race: 3/5
Because Stronger does not go into great detail about the events surrounding the bombing, it thankfully avoids the demonization of Muslims that often gets inserted into similar movies such as Patriot’s Day (2016), also based on the Boston Marathon attack. In addition, Stronger features several people of color throughout the movie, albeit in the background, most notably as Jeff’s coworkers at Costco and as the nurses who care for him in the ICU.
The fact remains, however, that nearly all the main characters in Stronger are white. Granted, the story revolves around Jeff, his family, and Erin, all of whom are white. The only significant character of color is Carlos Arredondo (Carlos Sanz), who in real life was famously photographed rushing Jeff to an ambulance right after the attack.
Carlos, a Costa Rican immigrant, was a spectator at the Marathon who had been cheering on members of the National Guard in memory of his sons, one who had died in combat in Iraq. Carlos survived his own series of devastating traumas and could just have easily lent his life story to a biopic too, this one centering a person of color. At the very least, Stronger does avoid characterizing Carlos as a magical savior who swoops in just to save Jeff from himself. Instead, he’s played as an equal—someone traveling down the same road, wrestling with some of the same demons.
Bonus for Disability: +0.50
A consistent frustration among disability activists involves the casting of disabled characters with nondisabled actors. Stronger follows suit as able-bodied actor Gyllenhaal spends the majority of screen time after the film’s bombing using a wheelchair. But even as the movie stops short of authentic casting, it manages to present a story about sudden trauma with sensitivity and realism, no doubt helped along by Jeff Bauman’s actual involvement with the film.
Rather than focusing only on the physical side of Jeff’s injuries, Stronger gives a clear-eyed look at how life-altering shocks reverberate through victims and their loved ones. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—while never explicitly acknowledged as such in the movie—is masterfully portrayed, as the true horror of the bombing reveals itself through vivid flashbacks that interrupt moments when Jeff should be enjoying himself. For example, when Jeff attends the Stanley Cup playoffs as a guest of honor, the sounds and lights trigger a violent flashback. In his panic, he goes into a frenzied outburst to devastating effect. Thanks to Gyllenhaal’s nuanced performance, his PTSD never feels sensationalized. He remains irrevocably human and flawed throughout the film, an important step away from Hollywood’s penchant for portraying disabled protagonists as saintly ideals.
Mediaversity Grade: C 3.17/5
It may be better to think of Stronger as a tale of survival rather than a movie about a terrorist attack. The film provides a nuanced look at the struggles of one man’s recovery and the impact of such trauma on survivors and those who care for them. Despite a rushed ending, Stronger ends up delivering a compelling story and strong performances.