'Stronger,' A Film On Life Of Marathon Bombing Survivor, Premieres At Spaulding Rehab

It wasn't exactly a Hollywood theater, but it certainly was an appropriate setting.

On Tuesday night, the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston hosted the first U.S. showing of the film "Stronger," which tells the story of Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman.

Four years after the bombings, Bauman is walking on two high-tech prosthetic legs thanks in part to the treatment he received at Spaulding. He was one of 32 bombing survivors treated at the hospital, and that's why the filmmakers behind "Stronger" decided to showcase it there first.

Bauman is portrayed in the film by actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

"I think, for me, it was just understanding life without legs and trying to put myself in that mindset, which is close to impossible," Gyllenhaal said at the premiere. "And I think also trying to understand the pain he went through."

David Crandell, Bauman's doctor at Spaulding, said he appreciated the gesture and the symbolism behind having the film premiere at the rehab center. He said the hospital has been an important part of Bauman's journey to recovery.

"I look at this as the next chapter," he said, "so having the movie out there is sort of a way to characterize where he's got to this point."

"Stronger" opens nationally on Sept. 22.