Review of Stronger (2017) by Chris O — 24 Dec 2017

Someone hand Jake Gyllenhaal an Oscar already, there's nothing more you can ask from him.

Stronger is the inspirational and heroic true-life story of Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal), the man whose iconic photo from the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing captured the hearts of the world.

Thankfully I watched this film before 2017 ended. This is easily one of my favorite films of the year and it's certainly flown under the radar for many folks. Not only is this a truly amazing story, but it has everything you could ask for from a drama. I think this film hits every emotion that it tries to and it's fueled by spectacular performances. I honestly can't wait to watch this film again, and that's saying a lot.

One thing that was perfect about this film was the performances. Seriously, Jake Gyllenhaal gives one of his best performances ever, and that's saying a LOT considering how many great performances he's put in. He truly plays the part of a broken man who doesn't want fame, but just wants his life to be okay again. He's damaged, struggling, and being forced into the spotlight as some sort of icon. His performance is accompanied by an emotional and genuine performance from Tatiana Maslany. Her effort and her chemistry with Gyllenhaal felt so real and perfect. I felt like I was watching a real, hand-crafted relationship play out between two people amongst all the chaos and despair.

Since the Boston Marathon Bombing, this certainly isn't the first film to show us a story from that day. Last year's "Patriots Day" made headlines, as its success and tribute like nature was well recognized. Honestly, seeing another trailer telling us another story from that day felt a bit tiring. I wasn't sure if I wanted to see another story from that day made so soon. However, I felt like the writer, director, and entire crew really cared about this story and they all wanted to deliver something great. It's a story that's constantly got you on an emotional high and I easily submitted to tears on a handful of occasions.

There are some really nice shots and uses of focus in here. There were some solid, prolonged tracking shots that created a lot of simplicity within the scenes. The shots were nicely exposed and I always felt like they made good use of the setting around them. The apartment Jeff lives in is cramped and we get the feeling that it's cramped, but it's still shot really well. All of those simple aspects came together and made the movie what it is.

I think there's a lot you can take away from this movie. It's really well written and it's certainly inspiring in its own way. It explores some themes and a different side of the story that I didn't expect it to. I felt like I really got to see a different perspective and insight on the situation, and how everything isn't so black and white. In the end, I loved this film, and you're missing out if you don't see it.