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Christopher Reeve’s children say they made a point to include all the complexities of their father’s life — his strengths and weaknesses — in the new documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” — because that’s what he would have wanted.
The film includes family home videos, mixed with interviews and movie clips of Reeve, who famously played Superman in four films, in addition to other acting and directing roles later in his career. Reeve’s three children, Matthew, Alexandra and Will Reeve, say there were no restrictions on topics or video used in their father’s story.
“He wouldn’t have wanted to be viewed through rose-colored glasses. He would want art and cinema and factual, comprehensive storytelling and that’s what he got,” Reeve’s youngest son, Will told The Associated Press. “It’s important to us to be honest and raw and vulnerable and give a 360-degree view of a very human life, of a very human family.”
Known as the Man of Steel, Reeve — an avid athlete, sailor, skier and horseman — was nearly killed in a 1995 horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life. He used his platform to become an advocate for people with disabilities, starting a foundation in his name.
Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui were able to access some never-before-seen home movies of the Reeve family before and after the accident. “When we started to make the film, one of the things they were adamant (about) is that they will share everything. They will share the archive, but they will share their emotional states … everything,” Bonhôte said. “That was the first time they were going to do it, and they were going to go all out.”
Reeve had recorded audio of his memoir before he died in 2005, so his narration is used in parts, adding to the film’s intimacy.
