Do you remember what you were doing Monday, April 15, 2013 at 3 PM? I do.

I’m sure plenty of you know what this post is about from the title alone, but for those unaware of the events on the day that changed so many people’s lives, that was the day of the Boston Marathon bombings. An event smaller in size than September 11, but equally disheartening and painful to the families of the four killed in the attack and subsequent events. You may be wondering why I’m broaching the subject now, at a random time of the year. Well ladies and gents, the time has come for a movie to be made on the subject, and I got to see an early screening of it thanks to a friend with the hook-up (thanks Deana!).

While I won’t get into the nitty-gritty so to speak, of the happenings of that day- I will say that I had never, and still have never seen a city come together so quickly to find the people responsible.

Their marks were left on all of us, much like the post 9/11 era taught us to be weary of terrorism in the first place. These people enforce the ‘terror’ in terrorism.

I was in Boston the day of the attack. I was at the marker before the finish line celebrating with friends as Bostonians do on Patriot’s Day. Boston University (my alma-matter) gives students the day off to cheer on the runners and honor the MA.-specific holiday. So, in true Bostonian fashion, what better way to celebrate than by getting drunk and cheering on the physical feats of those superior in mind and body? Anywho, I digress.

So, I was admittedly drunk and celebrating on Beacon St. at 2:45 PM on April 15, 2013. While my friends wandered down to the finish line, I declined their offer to go with on the grounds that we had been awake since 7 AM sipping our Mimosa’s and taking advantage of being young and in college. I bowed out gracefully, turned on my heels and marched against the crowds towards my dorm room a (relatively) safe mile from Fenway.

I walked passed the crowds of cheering men, women and children, towards the safety of my own bed.

I believe it took me around 20 minutes to get back, as the crowds were thick and my own hangover began to set in.

I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t see anything-right away. In fact, I didn’t notice anything particularly out of the ordinary when I arrived back in my dorm only 10 minutes after the first bomb went off. I received a call from my friend Kelsey at the exact time I kicked off my shoes and got in bed.

I remember answering the phone, annoyed at the interruption of my nap, to my friend Kelsey’s panicked voice on the phone telling me she was okay, and making sure I was as well.

I heard screams in the background, and loud noises of things falling. Through my exhausted and alcohol ridden mind I told her I wanted to go to sleep and that this was not a funny joke. In fact, I recall telling her it was a messed up joke. I remember her telling me to turn on the news, and that she had to call her mom or something along those lines. I turned on the news, and just like that everything changed.

I can’t imagine being a runner, watcher or first responder on that day. I know the horrors only through tales from my friends like Kelsey, who was at the finish line standing near those severely injured while she herself left relatively unscathed, and my friend Katriona who worked at a nearby hospital and saw the level of terror inflicted.

The thing is, I was there. Lucky to not be right there, but like everyone else in Boston, I was close enough to feel the horror. You might be wondering what this has to do with Mark Wahlberg’s latest film, Patriot’s Day. (Other than the fact that it is a film about the events.)

The film brought me back. I remembered things that I must have blocked out. I recalled the countless police officers in the West Campus dining hall during the four-day manhunt. I remembered the faces of the brave men on the streets working hard day and night to ensure the safety of my friends and I. I remember the horrifying photos on the news of the fatalities and injuries. I can never forget the faces of those forever crippled by the event. Even more? The film brought it all rushing back in a current of emotion and acute accuracy that left me breathless and reaching for a tissue that I did not bring–I know, my bad.

Whether you were there, knew someone who ran the marathon or anyone nearby, or live under a rock and had no idea that the Boston Marathon bombings even happened, this film is a must-see.

The acting, the effects, the sound and the inclusion of real-time clips makes the film so real, and therefore all the more important. During a time of such political and social distress, it’s nice to remember that we are all Americans. That we stand side-by-side towards a common desire for happiness and good, and against those who wish harm. And for those that wish for the bad and ugly, It’s nice to remember those that fight for our liberties everyday. For the brave people who’s stories go untold. There are heroes among us, and this movie reminds the world that those heroes exist on and off the screen.

Check out the trailer below:

Well, on a lighter note, stay classy sassy and beautifully warm!

Also, stay tuned for some guest-posts coming up–I promise they’ll be worth the read.

xx