Christopher Reeve’s kids wanted to be ‘honest, raw and vulnerable’ in new documentary ‘Super/Man’

NEW YORK – 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 the that I would have wanted

The film features family footage interspersed with interviews and film clips of Reeve, who played Superman in four films, as well as other acting and directing roles later in his career. Reeve’s three children, Matthew, Alexandra and Will Reeve, say there were no restrictions on subjects or videos used in their father’s story.

“He wouldn’t have wanted to be seen through rose-colored glasses. He wanted art and film and real, thorough storytelling and that’s what he got,” Reeve’s youngest son Will told The Associated Press. “It’s important for 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 horse rider, was nearly killed in a horse riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life. He used his platform to become an advocate for people with disabilities, creating a foundation in their 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 making the film, one of the things they were adamant about is that they’re going to share everything. They’re going to share the archive, but they’re going to share their emotional states … everything,” Bonhôte said. “This was the first time they were going to do it and they were going to go all out.”

Reeve had recorded the audio of his memoirs before he died in 2005, so his narration is used in parts, adding to the film’s intimacy. The actor became a father to Matthew and Alexandra with his first partner, Gae Exton, and the family lived in the UK before Reeve decided he needed a break and moved alone to the US. Exton, who is interviewed in the film, shares compelling memories of that time, and Matthew and Alexandra admit that their father was often absent during their childhood.

Other interviews include Susan Sarandon and Glenn Close, who befriended Reeve after she graduated from the Julliard School and began landing acting roles in New York. Close suggests in the film that Reeve and Robin Williams, Julliard classmates and close friends, had a deep connection and that if Reeve were still alive, Williams probably would be too.

Reeve’s children say the process of going through his archives and being interviewed for the film gave them a new perspective and appreciation of their father. Will Reeve was only 12 years old when his father died. His mother, Dana, was diagnosed with cancer and died less than 18 months later. Now a correspondent for ABC News, Reeve says he was lucky to have close family and friends helping him raise him and considers himself “pretty well adjusted.”

“There’s a scenario where things could have turned out differently,” Will Reeve said. “But for the values ​​our parents instilled in us, for the way they let us into their lives, the good and the bad, the happy and the tragic… that prepared us for the hardships of life and the joys of life.”

One thing that most impressed the directors in their investigation was Reeve’s commitment to helping others even after being physically limited in his own life. After becoming a quadriplegic, Reeve and his family were shocked by the lack of resources for people with disabilities and started the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to help improve the quality of life and fund research for a cure for people with spinal cord injuries.

“She allowed herself to have 10 or 15 minutes of self-pity, and then she went on a mission to change the world. And I think that’s very, very inspiring because … the family in general, Dana and the kids, faced a lot of hardship, you know, the 24-hour care, the cost,” Bonhôte said. “So he would fight for those who are less privileged than him.”

Alexandra Reeve Givens has kept advocacy in the family, working at the foundation and as a Washington attorney and managing director of the Center for Democracy and Technology. She said reflecting on her father’s life was powerful.

“Seeing those elements of his character that remained constant throughout his life: the commitment, the intensity, the passion, the strength,” he said. “Those things changed after the accident and manifested in new ways. That strength suddenly meant something totally different. It was a strength to get up every day.”

The film opens in wide release on Friday to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Reeve’s death this month.

Matthew Reeve, writer, producer and director, says the film re-emphasized the lessons the family learned from their parents, including the fragility of life.

“I think what it also instilled in us very early on was this deep sense of gratitude for everything, from the gratitude that you survived the accident to the enduring gratitude that tomorrow is not promised and that you have to value really the present,” he said. he said