Christopher Reeve who gained international popularity for his role as Superman in the first–“Superman” movies series, was injured during a riding accident on May 27, 1995, at the Commonwealth Park equestrian center in Culpeper, Virginia. Reeve’s horse disobeyed killer and horse threw off trying to clear a one-meter tall W-shaped fence. He fell down and injured his first two cervical vertebrae. He almost died, was paralyzed to four limbs and was almost inactive undergoing extreme dyspnea for the rest of his life. The situation was treated with irony in news across the world; the popular hero was not simply unable to snap his wings and fly any longer. Superman not only did not fly ever again but was critically incapacitated. It was a well-intentioned, rational, but completely objectifying way to put it.
A contemporary documentary ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ inverts the narrative around the events and goes at length to not portray Reeve as the quintessential story of rags to riches lost. Rather it views his life as the story of unyielding struggle, a narrative that a gorgeous world class athlete succumbed to numerous challenges and later on became a disability rights advocate and activist. He would go on to be a supporter of research that focused on treatment of people who suffered from spinal cord injuries.
Super/Man directed by Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui tells us the cold blunt truth about the realities behind the physical circumstances of the events. But as time wore on, that kind of criticism sealed the film as a respectable work. It never seems to avail itself of the far simpler option already explored by other portrayals of Reeve’s story: First his successful path towards attracting global attention; then the desire to escape the shadow of Superman; and in the end, his life used pitiably as a short and motivational biography (which is rather uncomfortable to discuss as it would annoy the viewers).
The producers of the film are not attempting to make anything political. They explain what took place with respect to not only the events prior to and after Reeve’s life, but also his friends’ emotional information (including his Juilliard acting program roommate Robin Williams, who portrayed a brother to him); his wife Dana, who acted as a super-human wife that nursed him and prompted him in the campaign efforts; his first two offspring Matthew and Alexandra, the mother of the children Gae Exton (On and off girlfriend of Reeve for ten years), and, most painfully, the baby Will Reeve, with Dana, his spouse. Will was a child when the incident occurred and thus spent his third birthday without a father as Reeve was in the hospital battling with the circumstances of that accident. Most of the touching images of family home videotapes are included in this film, but the best are those of the darling boy who had no comprehension of the pain that his father had to endure.
Quite a substantial information can be uncovered regarding Reeve’s life as an actor, mainly regarding his iconic Superman role that he adored performing but wished to explore other roles (which he did in “Street Smart,” “Deathtrap” and “Somewhere in Time” even though there wasn’t the same audience turnout as when he donned the cape and tights). Many of them include, however not limited to this aspect, are supported by a narrative about his misfortune, how he endured it, and how he coped with the pain.
// This film has some pacing or duration issues in that sometimes, it is possible to want the viewer to be suspended in a particular moment for a longer period than what is delivered. The score composed by Ilan Eskheri, which attempts to fit effects reminiscent of Williams’ “Superman” score, fails on several levels as it is disturbing at best; it manages at most times to be overwhelming, and overdone and tries hard to elicit emotions that let’s be honest, are not needed for a film that has a very uplifting story.
While this work is essentially a popular commercial narrative, the author tries to get as deep as possible into every facet of Reeve’s story. This part is most powerful when the camera is focused on Reeve’s friends, including Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, and Whoopi Goldberg, discussing Reeve’s partial return to acting (he starred in a television reboot of “Rear Window”) and directorial ambitions. It is especially praiseworthy when they let the children speak about their father’s ability to overcome adversity and about Dana Reeve, who appears almost fanatical in her attempt to cater to every physical and mental need of her husband. You do not find too many documentaries that can combine those skills–‘listening’ to their subjects as well as providing facts and a coherent narrative–but this is one of them.
There is no reason why the film would not be aimed at the general public and we hope it would invigorate attempts in finding treatments that can alleviate the trauma that comes with spinal cord injury, or even end the ordeal entirely.
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