The Boston Marathon bombing happened only four years ago, and despite the fact that we’ve had several lifetimes of sadness between then and now, it feels like it just occurred. Are we ready for a movie about it? Thankfully, Stronger is a close study of a guy and a family who went through some shit. The guy, Jeff Bauman, became the face of the Boston Marathon bombing after a picture of his rescue from the scene landed on the front pages of newspapers across the world. What makes Stronger different from other schmaltzy, rah-rah Americana movies is that while it’s about the marathon bombing, it’s not really about the marathon bombing. The moment of the blast isn’t hyped up for drama. It happens off to the side, and it’s people’s reactions to the tragedy that are in focus. Stronger only drifts into self-congratulatory territory a couple of times. The rest of the time—when it’s just the story of a guy and his family—it’s great. Even if it does feel soon. by Elinor Jones