If you’re asking yourself how many movies about the Boston Marathon bombing we need, the answer is (currently): two. Earlier this year we got Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg‘s muscular take on “Patriots Day,” and this fall, we’ll have another viewpoint from the team of David Gordon Green and Jake Gyllenhaal with “Stronger.”
The film will tell the true story of Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs at the finish line of the race when the bomb went off but played a key role in identifying the culprits behind the attack. Here’s the synopsis from his book, which serves as the source material for the film:
Jeff Bauman woke up on Tuesday, April 16th 2013 and he had no legs.
Just thirty hours prior, Jeff was surrounded by revelry at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. The first bomb went off at his feet as he awaited his girlfriend’s finish. When Jeff awoke days later from hours of surgery, rather than take stock of his now completely altered life, Jeff ripped out his breathing tube and tried to speak. He couldn’t. Jeff asked for a pad and paper and he wrote down seven words, “Saw the guy. Looked right at me,” setting off one of the biggest manhunts in the country’s history and beginning his own brave road to recovery.
In his memoir, Jeff will inspire millions by writing about his experiences that early spring day and his ongoing mission to walk again. Jeff will show the terrorists that they accomplished nothing with their act of cowardice and prove to the entire world what Boston Strong really means.
Co-starring Tatiana Maslany, scored by Michael Brook, and shot by Sean Bobbitt (“Shame,” “The Place Beyond The Pines“), “Stronger” opens on September 22nd. Look for a bow at one of the fall film festivals.
