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Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgu
Distributor: Warner Bros. UK

“Mr Reeve currently has no movement or spontaneous respiration.”

In 1995, Superman actor Christopher Reeve endured a life-changing injury as he was thrown from a horse in competition. The accident and injury saw the Man of Steel requiring a ventilator for the rest of his life.

Starting out, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story does an excellent job of presenting just how big of a star Christopher Reeve was prior to the accident and during the peak of his run as Superman. From a theater actor alongside the likes of Jeff Daniels and William Hurt, Reeve’s rise to stardom matched that of Superman himself shooting through the sky. When journeying across the Atlantic to test for Superman, his contemporaries dubbed him a “sell-out”, but what they did not predict was Reeve becoming the next face of the blockbuster movie and paving the way for future superhero films.

Fame and stardom, however, can come at a price. Super/Man details how Reeve wanted to move away from the red cape and return to more dramatic roles, instead of the mainstream spectacle. Like contemporary Hollywood and superhero cinema, typecast and lack of opportunity was very much a thing for Reeve in the 80s. The latter Superman sequels didn’t take off or land like their franchise predecessors. Whilst desperate for another hit film, Reeve also found himself excelling in other activities, too. One of them being horse riding.

Following a life-changing accident in a horse riding competition, Reeve turned survivor and activist for those living with disabilities. With the support of his wife, Dana, and their family, Reeve embarked on a mission and journey for a cure for those with spinal injury and living with disability, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

With contributors ranging from his children, mother of eldest children, and actors including Glenn Close and Jeff Daniels, we are gifted with a great detail of Reeve’s career and life. Super/Man does a terrific job of balancing the actor and the person, and then the person and the activist. The quantities and quality of detail presented and expressed are second to none. Especially that of the accident and the initial aftermath, Super/Man has the ability to immediately switch the tone with devastating results.

Super/Man has a duty to present an honest, detailed case of Reeve before and after his accident. Otherwise, a great disservice would take place. By having a thorough contribution from Reeve’s children, an ambiance is present of decency and legitimacy. Thus, this is an excellent celebration of Reeve’s life and his work. For an entire generation, Christopher Reeve was Superman. For generations after, Christopher Reeve was a paralyzed actor. Super/Man does an incredible job of connecting the generations with Chrstoper Reeve the actor, Christopher Reeve the paralysed activist, and Christopher Reeve the person.

Ultimately, one of Super/Man’s greatest attributes is its emotional impact. The emotional effects of this documentary are absolutely astounding, yet soul-destroying. Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui pull no stops in ensuring that the audience of this documentary connect with the emotions of the contributors and Reeve’s story.