Stronger

There are few actors in their 30s more well-rounded than [Jake] Gyllenhaal right now, as capable of taking on disturbing psychologies in aggressive indies as they are the lead roles in crowd-pleasing tearjerkers.

This isn't the positive movie many will want, but it's something better: a window into post-traumatic stress and exploded identity.

The movie is a straightforward, even familiar, tale of survival and recovery, but its grave respect for the unique extremity of its protagonist's ordeal cancels out any impulse toward exploitation.

"Stronger" takes more artistic risks than any other American-made "inspired by true events" picture I can recall.

Green looks for small but meaningful ways to complicate and deepen the well-trod story he's telling, and by the end, those complications help the film earn its uplift.

Solid, straightforward and touching.

That Stronger, as unpleasant as it is, doesn't shy away from the complicated side of recovery is admirable to say the least.

It's a movie that's allergic to saccharine manipulation or easy sentimentality.

Stronger is a film filled with warmth and humanity, but one that doesn’t sugarcoat the reality that comes with it.

A deeply human and often brutally honest depiction of trauma and recovery, anchored by three superb performances — though it often falls victim to formula.