Four stars. Rated R, for frequent profanity, graphic injury images, and fleeting sexuality and nudity
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 9.22.17
Some things transcend their
real-world existence.
Football is a crowd-pleasing
spectator sport; baseball is ... something more. Baseball inspires myth-making
films such as The Natural and Field of Dreams. You simply can’t
imagine football doing the same.
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| Jeff (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a few tentative steps on his new prosthetic legs, much to the overly eager delight of his helicoptering mother (Miranda Richardson, center), and the cautious concern of his girlfriend, Erin (Tatiana Maslany). |
Los Angeles and Chicago are
cities. New York and Boston are ... dreamlike.
Boston’s intangible, ferociously
indomitable spirit (“Boston strong!”)
has much to do with the triumphant, fist-pumping exhilaration that powers Stronger, but director David Gordon
Green’s fact-based drama likely will be remembered best for its quieter,
intimate moments. Two will linger in my mind for a long time: one for its near-silent emotional intensity; the other
for the heartbreaking wallop of an unexpectedly personal story, related by a
late-entry supporting character.
Both are staged, lensed and
performed impeccably; both are moments of pure cinema magic. And if the rest of
Green’s film doesn’t live up to those high points, it nonetheless remains
inspirational and thoroughly satisfying.
Stronger, based on Jeff Bauman’s best-selling 2014
memoir of the same title, depicts his agonizing emotional and physical struggle
after losing both legs during the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. His saga captivates
for all sorts of reasons; his being a survivor at times seems incidental.
Jeff’s presence at the finish
line was sheer caprice; he “showed up” in an effort to win back the
on-again/off-again girlfriend (Erin Hurley) who was running the race. In the
blast aftermath, he likely would have died, were it not for the rapid
intervention of Carlos Arredondo, a Costa Rican-born American peace activist
who attended the marathon for his own deeply personal reasons.
Immediately upon regaining
consciousness after surgery, still intubated and unable to speak, Jeff
indicated — by writing — that he’d seen one of the bombers; his description of
Tamerlan Tsarnaev helped police and FBI narrow down the suspect list.
All of which gives this film a
hefty emotional center, although scripter John Pollono wisely focuses on the
all-important relationship between Jeff and Erin. Everything else flows from
that bond.
