Superman — able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, until, of course, we know he couldn’t.
But don’t think that “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” the superb new documentary directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, is all about tragedy. Yes, there is heart-wrenching loss, but also expansive love, grit, resilience, hope, and so much more.
The directors create a narrative that seamlessly moves back and forth in time, as well as shifting between the personal and public arenas. The narrative comes through interviews with Reeve’s three children, close actor friends such as Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, and other important people in his life. Although not contemporary, we hear, too, from Robin Williams, an intimate and extremely important longtime friend, and Reeve himself in the abundant archival footage and home movies. All together, they weave a complex and intensely three-dimensional human portrait.
The film touches on Reeve’s childhood and relationship with his parents, particularly the impact his father had on this very human hero. We learn, too, about his early career, and how, while in an off-Broadway show with Jeff Daniels and William Hurt, he flies out for an audition for “Superman” and lands the part, for which they were seeking an unknown.
In a later interview, Reeve said prophetically, “I realized if I could pull this off, it would change my life,” which, of course, it did. The notoriety eventually pigeonholed him in terms of acting, at least in people’s minds, as he became synonymous with his starring role. Reeve actually did a wide range of movies, theater, television, Broadway, off-Broadway, and the West End.
Whatever he undertook, Reeve did 110 percent. And as his older son Matthew explains, “He was all about activity and action.” Reeve’s daughter Alexandra Reeve Givens recounts as we watch a thrilling cavalry scene from his portrayal as Alexei Vronsky in “Anna Karenina,” how her father not only undertook a crash course in riding but, being highly allergic to horses, injected himself with antihistamine throughout filming.
Soon after, the film rolls right into the accident that changed his life forever. As an avid and accomplished rider, on May 27, 1995, at 42 years old, he fell headfirst from his horse during a cross-country riding competition. The intensity of the unfolding of the aftermath, including his flatlining at least twice, coma, hallucinations, and surgery where they had to reattach his head to his body, is gripping, even if you know the outcome.
Reeve says about waking up and learning that he was paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own, “I lay on my back frozen, thinking the darkest thought because it had dawned on me, I had ruined my life and everyone else’s.”
The film goes on to one of its many profoundly moving moments, with Reeve describing a conversation with his wife Dana when it wasn’t clear if he would live or die. Reeve mouthed, “Maybe we should let me go.” To which, crying, Dana responded, “I will support whatever you want to do, because this is your life and your decision, but I want you to know I’ll be with you for the long haul no matter what.” Reeve continues, “Then she added the words that saved my life: ‘You’re still you, and I love you.”
The depth of their love for one another is a throughline. We see, hear, and thereby feel the profound change to their lives. The enormity of his physical needs and limitations, as well as his determination to do all that he can to progress, hits us again and again.
The parallel unfolding is Reeve’s emotional journey. He asks, “Now that I was going to live — now what?” For him, “The worst part of being in a wheelchair is having to transition from participant to observer long before I expected.”
Although Reeve had already begun reaching out and working with other quadriplegics in rehab, he made his first public appearance at the Academy Awards in March 1996. The response, to say the least, was overwhelming. His willingness to go public with his disability was pivotal to moving back out into the world.
Reeve shares, “Others looked me right in the eye and said, We love you, Superman, and you’re our hero. The fact that I was in a wheelchair, unable to move below my shoulders and dependent on the support of others, had not diminished the fact that I was and always would be their Superman.”
Although he directed and acted again, the film makes clear the enormity of Reeve’s advocacy work to raise significant money for research to help those with spinal cord injuries, providing hope to millions.
He reflects on his most famous role: “There is something about America that is very short on heroes. We need … all the heroes we can get. Superman may be make-believe, but the qualities of courage and character that make him unique are very real.” The same could be said of Reeve.
With rich emotional nuance, scene after scene conveys how this man of steel, in his vulnerability, was an immense tower of strength.
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is playing at the Grange Hall on July 10 at 5:30 and 8 pm, and July 11 at 7 pm, followed by a discussion with Matthew Reeve. Pay-what-you-can tickets and information at circuitarts.org/thechristopherreevestory.
