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Seldom has the idea that “It’s in the telling” seemed more apt than as a description of “Stronger.” On paper, this based-on-a-memoir story of tragedy overcome would seem to be the most obvious of Oscar bait, with Jake Gyllenhaal in the showy role of a terrorist victim fighting back from unthinkable physical and emotional challenges. But the story landed in good hands, under the direction of David Gordon Green (“Joe”), and the resulting film feels as if it single-handedly restores humanity to the movies.

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CalMatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media.