Documentaries about actors tend to follow a well-worn path. And they often end up being more interested in glorifying their subjects than analysing them. But those charges can’t be levelled at Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, who provide a compelling look at the life and legacy of Christopher Reeve in Super/Man.
Reeve, of course, was the OG Superman – at least the OG movie Superman (apologies to George Reeves). Richard Donner’s Superman (1978) broke box office records and took filmmaking to places previously thought impossible. It made Reeve an overnight sensation. His success continued, thanks largely to similar success with Superman II (1980). He appeared in 15 films between 1978 and 1995, including The Remains of the Day. But in May 1995, a horse riding accident rendered him quadriplegic, and his life changed irrevocably.
The film charts both Reeve’s pre- and post-accident life. But it also devotes significant time to the lives of his two spouses – Gae Exton and Dana Reeve – and their children. The reason for that becomes clear later in the film. Bonhôte and Ettedgui (probably best known for McQueen, their 2017 doco about fashion designer Alexander McQueen) build a layered portrait of Reeve, while exploring the effects of his life – good and bad – on those around him. These include Robin Williams, and the connection between them was a surprising revelation for me.
In many ways, it also provides an interesting take on the nature of fame. Following the success of Superman, Reeve was in the top echelon of box office draws. But his success worked against him. Directors couldn’t see him as anything other than the Superman character – a fate that also befell his contemporary, Mark Hamill (Star Wars). The terrible accident however led (perhaps ironically) to far wider and more substantive acclaim than his other work ever achieved.
The documentary employs archival footage – and there’s plenty of it, of course – interspersed with home movies and interview snippets. Reeve’s three children – Alexandra, Matthew and Will – feature prominently in the interviews. Sadly many of those who knew Reeve best are no longer with us, so there are gaps. But Bonhôte and Ettedgui make up for it by steering the film away from Reeve’s movie career and into his post-accident advocacy for disability rights. While the film doesn’t shy away from some of the controversies around that advocacy, it does devote a lot more time to its positive aspects.
One word of caution – Super/Man includes almost Shakespearean levels of tragedy. The film layers trauma on trauma. And while the film ends on an upbeat (even hopeful) note, its pathos is intense. At the end, there was barely a dry eye in the house at the preview screening. How many times do you see that with a documentary?
Interestingly, the filmmakers chose to use shifting time frames. The film doesn’t run in a linear narrative, but cuts back and forth to different time periods – a very effective device. While the interview segments have a certain sameness about them, they’re nonetheless beautifully shot by cinematographer Bryan Twz Brousseau. Ilan Eshkeri (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) adds an understated score.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a finely crafted and brilliantly revealing documentary. This film will hit home for many – and it deserves to.
David Edwards
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David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television