When you put your s***t together, you become....STRONGER

How many times you see someone and by their first impression, you would think they are great people and they are doing well in life. Until you get to know them and realize that behind that sweetness and politeness, there's  chaos and a very messed up life. And it's hard to judge them just by the fact that their lives are a mess, because we don't know where they are coming or how hard or easy their life has been. Sometimes we even like them that much that we don't want to see the reality behind them but focusing on the surface. Until we are put on a test. Life likes to shake us up and bring us some challenges either to prove that we can go further than where we are or push us up to become better, "STRONGER" (2017). This is a new drama based on real events, that happened recently in Boston. Triggered by the bombs at Boston's Marathon, this story focuses on the struggle of just one survivor and his fight to overcome that day that changed him for the rest of his life, and with that, for all the people around him, family and friends, that will see a different person from now on, even when seems like everybody wants to see and turn him into a hero. A survivor from a battle that happened at home, so when people more need re assurance of safety and that things will be better, comes someone that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and now is the image left from that event to bring that very needed hope after trying to do the right by helping the FBI catching the responsible of such terrible thing, but who's taking care of him? Who has his back while he goes through this new reality and adjust to a new life after  experienced such a life changer event.

So for everyone that is not familiar about the story of Jeff Bowman, deeply performed by talented actor Jake Gyllenhaal, a Boston native that used to work at Costco and spend his time watching the Red Sox and drinking with his family and friends. He used to have an ordinary life, living with his alcoholic mother and ding nothing major for his life other than spending fun times at family BBQ's and the local bar to watch baseball games. But because love plays a big role in our lives this actually might be a sort of love story. Because Jeff really likes a girl, even that she has broken up with him three times already, he refuses to let her go. And she likes him too, but she has given up to him as he has no goals or any intentions to do better than what he has right now, not even going out with her. And he realizes that now, so he wants to make it up to her and so he decides to show up at the marathon, at the finish line, and be there for her, and show to her how willing he is to change. And so he does. He shows up just in time to cross paths with a terrorist that has left a bomb next to him to explode. And when this happens the consequences are that even he is so lucky to be alive, he has lost both legs. And as the american tradition is when tragedies like this happen, everybody turn for help and trying to help each other, which worked for him, as he made it to the hospital with no other damage than what the bomb did to him. But after surgery, when he is able to wake up, he feels the need to do the right thing before anything else happens, and that is talk to the FBI and tell them he saw face to face the one responsible of this.

And because of that, the whole town turned him into a hero. A survivor of  a horrible event that threatened their home and killed and injured some of their own. And you might think that this is a story of facing the challenge of losing your legs and become stronger to be able to walk. But let me spoil it for you because it is not. This a story that goes beyond that. This a story of a man and his struggle in life than now just happens his facing a new reality where has lost both of his legs. But when you see his story from this perspective you might feel this was a very needed push from life or destiny to shake him off from the bubble he was living at, and stories like him, are plenty, all around the world, people stuck in a hole, wishing things would be better but settling for what life has to offer to them, thinking that all what happens is just what they can see and there's no more than that, at least not for them, so usually spend their time just moving around the basics: family, friends, and a job that will let them survive. No ambitions, and when they do have them, someone from around will come to crash it. And no surprise, that is part of our human nature, feeling that we live at the center of a universe where we are the middle point, that all great and bad things happen to us and that there can't be more than what we can see, blinding us from seeing others reality as part of our own, and hard to empathize until something similar happens to us. We love to complain about our circumstances and why things can't be better or why not having what other have or just settle with what is supposed to be without giving a try to fight and become better, stronger.

That's where the charm and real soul of this movie and story surfaces. When we are able to see things in perspective and understand what's happening behind the first impression. And this guy is a perfect example of how someone can be manipulated by the circumstances, making him the person he is now and again, circumstances have shown up to change that, and he seems to take them again, until he, and only he be willing to say enough and fight for something better. Coming from a broken home, with no siblings other than his best friends, he turned into a mediocre man, following others and under the protection of an alcoholic mother that nourishes his own apathy and irresponsibility and now they try to take advantage of his popularity to show him up and attend to all sorts of local events where they see him as a hero, a living proof of hope that things can get better after a horrible event. But the only thing no one is listening or looking at is his own struggle. He is no hero, and he doesn't want to be one, specially because he can't even take care of himself. He is still struggling to adapt to this new reality and come over from an experience that can traumatize anyone. But he prefers to keep it for himself and play along with everybody pretending to be someone he is not and save that anxiety for his time alone or taking it off with the girl he likes. Because remember, this is a love story, a living proof that love can changes us, how? by inspiring us to be better, and when this girl feels guilty for what happened to Jeff, because finally he showed up for her and because of that now he is a victim, she stays to help him and be supportive, until she realizes that she loves him and misses him too, mostly because  that is what she does, feeling drawn by his charming personality and the idea that he will change.

But for all of you who still think you can change someone because they love you. That is a false statement. No one changes just because and it won't happen from one day to other. Changes in behavior or life style take time. Sometimes more or less than expected. And so it happened to Jeff, he tried to do better for a few time and eventually he came back to his usual because results didn't show up fast. And not even the fact of getting the girl he wants at his side and loving him, helping him through all this craziness, being supportive is enough for him. He can't but go back to be the only thing he knows better, failure. He's missing his rehabilitation sessions, mostly because relaying in his drunk mother that forgets when passes out, and being busy showing of at events that want to show him up as an american hero. So when you don't do thing differently, results will be the same. And again he loses the girl, he is stuck in his shitty life, but now without legs, making him a complete dependent in others, no matter how much he wants to walk again, he won't because he's doing nothing to make that happen, even he has all what he needs cover to make it happen. Until he faces reality: he is alive, while others have lost someone, and life has been hard on them, they are fighting to do better and help others, he is still alive, and he is doing nothing about it, but when you listen to others and realize that they actually don't see you as a hero but as an inspirational figure, you might realize how lucky you are to have what you have because you actually can do better than other whom unfortunately have lost that opportunity and as all the community is fighting to become stronger and over come what just happened, you might be the only one giving up and just because you are too lazy to try, and so love will push you and motivate to have that will to start changing this, realizing will take time but at the end might happen and only then you will realize that becoming stronger is not a physical matter but about you as a whole and if we are lucky to be healthy and alive, there's nothing that we can't accomplish if we really try hard for it.