A very moving film about hope, beautifully played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

So, is it just me or did Wahlbergs's 2016 Patriot's Day tell a slightly different story about what happened, compared to Stronger? Where is the line that separates a biography from fiction?Though Stronger didn't depict it very well, it seems to me that Jeff is a hero because of him identifying one of the brothers, yet in Patriot's Day, it was an FBI agent who cracked the case, through no help or mention of this Jeff.The problem here is, these are biographical depictions, less than a year apart, about the exact same event, and hell, even from the same studio, so, which do we believe or which do we believe more, or, are they both true, though their stories are different?Furthermore, this bothers me because if Stronger is "less true", then Jeff's praise is based on what, a misunderstanding?I don't know, I just feel like many people got affected by what happened in Boston that day, and some are trying to cash in (especially because just like Patriot's Day, it didn't do too well at the Box Office). What I'm trying to say is, if the actual Jeff Bauman didn't feel like a hero, then this film would've never been made, ABOUT HIM, also, it would've highlighted who was in fact instrumental in identifying the bomber(s), but the movie was made, even though Jeff's account of the events may be somewhat compromised. Like I said, I don't know, Stronger just feels a certain way, because of Patriot's Day, and guess, so does Patriot's Day now.Anyway, all of that aside, Stronger wasn't quite as strong as Patriot's Day I have to say, but still, an okay watch. 6/10.

Nearly 5 years ago this year, tragedy struck a major sporting event. Then came two major books covering what happened which inspired two big movies released within a year of each other. One, "Patriots Day", was from the same director who did a movie about the BP disaster, and the other, "Stronger", was directed by an art house director. While "Patriots Day" is dark and grim, "Stronger" focuses on the lighter side of the event showing more of the relationsship between Jeff Bauman (played by Jake Gylenhall) and his girlfriend Erin (played by Tatiana Maslany of "Orphan Black" fame), who is running in the Marathon when her boyfriend notices a strange man who would become the terrorist that stopped the Marathon and cut his legs, forcing him to recover in a wheelchair and telling what happened to the FBI. While they find the terrorist, Jeff falls in love with Erin, forcing her to become pregnant while she lives apart from Jeff after Jeff attends a Boston Bruins playoff game as the flag bearer. In the end, after Jeff throws the first pitch at the first Red Sox home game since the attack, he marries the girl before his wife gives birth to their son a year after the Red Sox win the world series. After renting this movie, I thought this movie was a bit slow in spots yet the acting was well done and the soundtrack pretty good.

What I liked about this film and what I think makes it stand out a bit more than other "inspirational" type of films, is this really focuses on the aftermath of the disaster. How these people's lives were affected by it. It doesnt shy away from showing people angry or crying or wanting to give up. I wish there had been someone to suggest going to a therapist though. It kind of irks me that when it comes to health care, mental health isnt also thought of. This isn't a fault with the movie (as I realize this is based off a real guy - and his real experiences), but it still annoyed me when he was getting crap at rehab. Like, maybe he would care more about taking this seriously if he had time to actuallly process what happened and why it happened. It does help that there is also great performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany. Miranda Richardson also completely loses herself in the role. She feels like they genuinely pulled a real life Bostonian mom and put her in the movie. One nitpick I do have is that the film really shoves the "Boston Strong" message down your throat. I get this was a popular phrase coming out of the bombings. But I feel like every other scene either someone is saying it or a sign is showing it. It's a bit too patriotic at times.