Stronger trailer: Jake Gyllenhaal plays real-life survivor of Boston Marathon bombing

Sometimes, you can tell by the very plot of a film that it is going to be a heart-rending but promising watch.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Tatiana Maslany’s film Stronger is such a film. It tells the story of Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman and his relationship with his girlfriend Erin Hurley after he lost his legs, and the struggles they go through as Bauman’s character deals with despair and the pressure of being a symbol of American and Bostonian bravery.

In the trailer of the film, we see Gyllenhaal weak at first, unable to cope with the emotional and physical pain of losing his legs. Later, his spirits are lifted and he begins walking with the help of prosthetic legs.

Coming to the story it is based on, Gyllenhaal plays Bauman, who lost his legs at the knees due to the bombs that went off at the finish line of the marathon, where he was standing to support Hurley. Three people died and hundreds were injured in this terrorist attack, which occurred in 2013. Two years later, Bauman wrote a memoir about adjusting to his new life. Bauman was also instrumental in helping the police identify the suspects.

While the film is directed by David Gordon Green, it is written by a screenwriter who resident of Boston, John Pollono. It is produced by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. Stronger is scheduled to premier on 22 September, 2017.

This is the second film on the Boston Marathon Bombing after Mark Wahlberg’s drama Patriots Day. While this film focused on the pursuit of the suspect, Stronger will look at the attack in a more intimate manner.

Watch the trailer here: