Stronger (***)

STRONGER won be over by the slightest of margins almost exclusively by the lead performance. Jake Gyllenhaal is building a reputation as a great actor who chooses films not equal to his talent. Nightcrawler was one such film, a rough assembly of triviality that has at its core an unforgettable character. Here, in a story based on real events, there was so much to question and so little to call memorable.

This is the second film of 2017 to center around the events of the Boston Marathon Bombing a few years back (January had the release of the Mark Wahlberg-based Patriot's Day). Here, we learn about the aftermath of the bombings most famous victim, a young man named Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal). We remember the shocking, grisly images of Bauman being wheeled from the scene with both legs blown off to the bone. His face was gray and emotionless, the scene around him ashy and disorientating. David Gordon Green, the director, makes a film that tries to answer the question "who is this man?" Might I counter with another question: "do we really need to know?"

The film starts off almost immediately with Bauman's hospitalization and establishes his relationship with on/off again girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany). In attempts to win her over, he waits at the finish line with a homemade sign, but fate had other plans. Erin is at his side during recovery, during therapy, and everything in between. Perhaps she stayed more out of guilt, or perhaps there is a deeper connection there. It must be noted that while the couple does end up together in the end, the real life couple divorced earlier this year as the film's release was underway.

What drives the plot is mostly a cantankerous relationship between Erin and Bauman's mother, Patty (a wonderful and surprising Miranda Richardson). Bauman lives at home and works as a cook at Costco, and as he develops a relationship with Erin, we sense Patty's conflict in attending to her son. On one hand, she wants him to make a full recovery. On the other hand, the news exposure, fan mail, and interviews (Oprah even called!) puts her in a predicament. Patty is the film's "anagonist" if there is any, but does the film justify itself by making a real life woman such a ruthless being?

Did this film need to be made? I have this problem a lot with films that sensationalize recent tragedies. The image of Jeff Bauman in a wheelchair became the face of Boston, and his recovery was linked with the phrase "Boston Strong." In the end, the film amounts to little more than some sort of exploitation of a real man who encountered a life-threatening hardship. Gyllenhaal is very good behind colored contacts and CGI legs, but the film ultimately left me feeling only slightly comforted. I suspect reading Bauman's autobiography "Stronger" might offer a clearer voice and timeline of his recovery. The film, which spends millions to digitally erase a movie star's legs and then sensationalize Bauman's struggle in attempts to make a profit, seems ultimately redundant.