Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story captures the hero that Christopher Reeve was both on screen and as an ordinary man in a powerful documentary that pays tribute to the beloved movie star he was and the change he and his family made in the world, resulting in one of the best documentaries of the decade!

 

Back in 1978, one man showed audiences that a man could fly, and it changed blockbusters forever. Superman not only introduced audiences to the superhero genre, but it made Christopher Reeve an overnight worldwide celebrity for his portrayal of the Man of Steel. His life changed overnight, and then again in 1995 after his accident that paralyzed him from the neck down. While it seemed like a life sentence, it was actually a start to an amazing new chapter in his life as he continued to prove himself a hero in advocating for disabled people. While he sadly passed away twenty years ago this October, Reeve’s life is being immortalized in the new documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story that tells his life story, both as a Hollywood star and a family man, in one of the most beautiful, emotional and incredible documentaries that I have ever seen that will not leave a single dry eye in the audience.

 

Reeve’s story is told through a combination of archival footage of his performances and his interviews, current interviews with his three children, his ex-partner and his close friends including Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams through historical footage; and the narration that Reeve recorded for his memoir. And of course, there is lots of footage from the Superman films and use of John William’s iconic musical score from the film as Superman was an integral part of Reeve’s public image, which is the perfect soundtrack for a real life hero like Reeve. It provides a personal account of Reeve as an individual, giving us a deep look at the man behind the headlines, while allowing his own voice to tell his story which is a true gift that most documentary subjects are unable to do after they pass. The interviews with his children are deeply personal, emotional and moving, especially the ones with his youngest son Will Reeve who was too young when his father both had his accident and passed away.

 

Throughout the film, it truly feels like you are being invited into the Reeve’s family and are treated to intimate access to their lives. The love that he shared with both his ex-partner Gae Exton and their close relationship after their separation, the love he had for his wife Dana, and the insistence to be part of his children’s life is highlighted, allowing Reeve’s values to shine bright. Because of this nature, he was incredibly well respected not only throughout Hollywood by his peers, but on a world stage that allowed him to become a prominent figure in the furtherance of rights for disabled people in the political realm. Of everything learnt about his family and relationships, the most surprising revelations during the interviews with his friends is learning how close he and Williams were, having roomed together starting off as actors in New York in the 1970s and being as close as brothers. It confirms the audience’s image of both men that we developed from watching them both on screen, but it is Close remarking that if Reeve hadn’t died so young that we would probably still have Williams with us today that rips your heart in half.

 

Instead of following Reeve’s life chronologically throughout the documentary, writers and directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui start the film in the middle of Reeve’s story with the accident, then playing out his life in two separate times lines: his life before the accident and his life after the accident. By doing so, they allow thematic parallels to be drawn between different times in his life that would not have been as easily highlighted had it been told chronologically. It plays into a line from Reeve’s memory which closes out the film perfectly: not forgetting his past but presenting his life as one continuous life as he described it in his memoir.