STRONGER (2017) FILM REVIEW!
STARRING: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatian Maslany,
Miranda Richardson
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Based on the real life
experience’s of Jeff Bauman, who survived the Boston marathon bombings of 2013,
Stronger follows a young man who is thrust into the limelight after he looses
both of his legs in the attack. The film
plots the ups and downs of his relationships with his mother, his girlfriend,
and most importantly, himself.
THE HIGHS: Let’s face it. ‘Real life’
stories coming out at this time of year can feel somewhat like Oscar bait, and
on some level, the same can be said of Stronger. It has a lot of what some
would say ‘schmaltz’ and moving moments, but considering the subject material,
is this truly an issue? Directed by David Gordon Green, who’s previous work
includes Pineapple Express and Your Highness, Stronger is a brutally honest and
self aware film, supported by two excellent performances from Jake Gyllenhaal
as survivor Jeff Bauman and Tatiana Maslany as Jeff’s on-off girlfriend Erin.
Whereas last year’s Patriot’s Day focused on the bigger picture and man hunter
after this horrendous attack, Stronger is a far more personal, but just as
poignant feature.
The chemistry between the two leads playing
the Bostonian lovers is fantastic, The relationship isn’t perfect by any means
before the event and is even more strained afterwards. Erin feels immense guilt
that Jeff’s life has been altered forever due to him being at the wrong place
at the wrong time – when he was supporting her in the marathon. Maslany holds
her own against the far more experienced Gyllenhaal, she has an innate
vulnerability, and for large sections of the film the audience is more on her
side of their disputes.
At this point in his career, we know
Gyllenhaal is talented and this film only cements that. As Jeff Bauman, he
shifts some heft both emotionally and physically in a role that could have felt
like a desperate grab for Oscar attention, but goes beyond that. It is a frank
and deliberated performance, where he only needs to make a look with his eyes
to convey Bauman’s pain and anxieties. A row between Jeff and Erin is all-out
gut wrenching and I genuinely forgot that I was watching a film.
As with the acting in Stronger, the
direction and cinematography is raw and sincere. The film is not showing off
with over powering lighting, or effects, rather, it feels tangible and intense.
When Jeff’s bandages are removed for the first time (by the real life doctors
who did the same for the Bauman himself) it gave me pure, uncomfortable
goosebumps. The camera focuses unrelentingly on Gyllenhaals face as he is
cowerers in unbearable pain, the performance and soft focus of his leg’s in the
scene are all that is needed to capture the horrors he experienced after that
fated day. Another highlight was Green’s genius decision to insert moments from
Jeff’s memory of the bombing into when he is making his crucial first public
appearance at a hockey game after he is declared ‘an American hero’, despite
the fact he feels like a total fraud. It portrays his PTSD in a shocking, and
startling manner that I cannot say I have seen shown so uniquely conveyed in some
time.
THE LOWS: As much as the lead pairing were a delight
to watch, the same can’t be said for some of Bauman’s surrounding family.
British actor Miranda Richardson stars in an unrecognisable role of Jeff’s over
bearing mother Patty. She has a very questionable Bostonian accent and I found
her ‘larger than life’ character irritating and just disappointingly
distracting. The script did not really allow us as an audience to relate her
character, and we only got to see a woman who seemed intent for exposure of her
son to get him on Opra, or attempting to steer him away from Erin. The same can
be said for the rest of Jeff’s family who were not as brash but also felt like
characters of themselves. I wonder if
more scenes with Patty were left on the cutting room floor?
Despite an all-together cliché ending – it
is entertaining and again, has the desired effect of emotion and sheer hope.
Bauman’s struggle is captured well and it is clear through Gyllenhaal’s
performance that the self-loathing Jeff felt is beginning to heal by hearing
stories from others and how he has inspired them. I couldn’t help however feel
the need for more from the Erin and Jeff reunion, aswell as their next steps.
The film separated them so long at the end that by the time we saw shots of the
real couple, I wanted to know what had happened in that gap.
VERDICT: 7/10 – Stronger is an enjoyable
and emotionally intense watch, with a few small missteps. The way the film captures
PTSD and Bauman’s clear struggle with himself (and those around him) should be highly
admired. The film has two captivating performances, most notably from Gyllenhaal,
who is subtle, controlled and truly unmissable. Give the guy an Oscar already!
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