The filmmakers behind "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" had a clear goal - to create an emotional journey for audiences. Two decades after Christopher Reeve's passing, this documentary film, directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, offers an intimate glimpse into the late Superman actor's life. It traces his journey from his days at Julliard to the tragic 1995 horseback-riding accident that left him paralyzed, his active disability rights activism, and the final years of his life.

Discover the Hidden Emotions of a Superhero's Life

From Julliard to Paralysis

The film opened to great acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival in January and was named one of the National Board of Review's best documentaries of 2024. As Ian Bonhôte explained during TheWrap's Screening Series, where he was joined by Ettedgui and Joe McGovern who moderated the virtual conversation, the challenge was to tell a story that many already knew. "How do you surprise an audience with elements that are already known? We want[ed] emotion to be over information. Emotion is what we [were] looking for." By bringing in those closest to Reeve, especially during his most vulnerable times, the film was able to achieve this.Reeve's wife, Dana, who passed away in 2006 from lung cancer, is featured in the film, along with new interviews with his three grown children - Alexandra, Matthew, and Will. Reeve's former partner, Gae Exton, who is very private, was also included after a long wooing process. Actors like Jeff Daniels, Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, and Whoopi Goldberg, along with archival interviews of Superman director Richard Donner and Reeve's close friend Robin Williams, add depth to the documentary.

The Importance of Family

As Ettedgui admitted, "What we discovered as we were making [the film] was the importance of people like Dana. We didn't know about Dana's story. We barely knew the kids." Getting to know them more revealed that this wasn't just a Superman story but the tale of a beautiful family. Bonhôte acknowledged that the film wouldn't have the same emotional impact without the involvement of Reeve's family members. "The film couldn't be done with[out] them," he said. "They became even more and more relevant to the story, and we realized that Dana and the family aspect were much more important than just Christopher Reeve being a successful actor and the accident. There was much more to it."The interview sessions with Reeve's children were deeply emotional. Each session took about 12 hours to complete. Ettedgui shared a moment with Matthew where he went into a "lyrical, beautiful memory of being a young boy on his dad's shoulders." This opened the door to something special, as they let their emotions out, and everyone present felt the power of these interviews.

Dana's Role and the Impact

Regarding Dana's part in the documentary, Bonhôte conveyed the loss she endured after Reeve's life-changing accident. He said, "She made us understand that someone with his level of disability will impact everyone in the family, will impact your partner, and that's what she wanted to bring to the table."With a runtime of 104 minutes, there were aspects of Reeve's life that Bonhôte and Ettedgui couldn't fully explore, such as his involvement with the Creative Coalition and his support for the preservation of New York architecture.Ultimately, "Super/Man" is about more than just Christopher Reeve the actor. It's about the man behind the cape and his loved ones who kept him going. "It's about love, family and legacy," Bonhôte said.Watch the full discussion here.