Our personal connection to The Brave One

The trailer for director Neil Jordan and star Jodie Foster's new film The Brave One is now up and, we have to confess, we had no idea the plot of the film before viewing it online. To be frank, it spooked the shit out of us. The movie is all about how one overcomes a traumatic attack that alters his/her life forever.



Here's why we're so drawn to this film: nearly three years ago we were walking from a downtown St. Louis nightspot to our apartment a few blocks up the street. Less than a minute into our walk, we were approached by a man who asked us to give him our money, cell phone and any other valuables - then he shoved a gun in our face. We obliged him as quickly as we could, but we had difficulties pulling out our wallet, so he shot the ground in front of us to speed the process along. Once he had what he wanted he joined his friend/accomplice in their vehicle and began to speed away. As they drove off, nine shots rang out and before we could process what had happened, three bullets were lodged in our body.

Luckily, none of the wounds were life-threatening, and we were able to resume a normal life within a couple months. But what's normal after that? Our sense of safety and trust in the world was forever blown apart. Some nights when we walk from home from work we think how easy it'd be for it to happen again. We go out of our way not to upset any strangers we may encounter for fear of reproach. Every ride on a bus or the subway is an exercise in holding back our terror. How does one move on after having their life threatened by a stranger?

We don't know. We're not past it yet. That's what The Brave One is about. We've always like Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and Jodie Foster (Inside Man), so we have full confidence in this movie. There's a chance it might suck, but if even one note in this film rings true it will be unmissable.