Christopher Reeve‘s biopic “Super/Man” is proving just how super the late actor and activist really was.
Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui co-direct the documentary, which has been shortlisted by IndieWire as an Oscar frontrunner. “Super/Man” charts Reeve’s astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, including his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, but catalyzed his activism for disability rights.
The feature first screened at Sundance before playing at HamptonsFilm, among other festivals.
For the SummerDocs screening, executive producer Connor Schell and Reeve’s son Will Reeve participated in a Q&A conversation moderated by HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent and Chairman Emeritus Alec Baldwin.
“Each year our SummerDocs program aims to highlight powerful stories that challenge perceptions and open hearts and minds, and our audiences responded to ‘Super/Man’ for exactly those reasons,” HamptonsFilm Artistic Director Nugent said. “It was an incredible pleasure to host the film, Connor Schell, and Will Reeve in the Hamptons, and to recognize this beautiful tribute to Christopher Reeve with this summer’s award.”
Co-directors Bonhôte and Ettedgui explained how the HamptonsFilm SummerDocs Series’ Audience Award honor further celebrates Reeves’ life and legacy on the 20th anniversary of the actor’s death.
“It is truly an honor to accept this award from the 2024 HamptonsFilm SummerDocs Series. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Christopher Reeve’s passing, and our goal was always to bring his extraordinary story to life for a contemporary audience – so to receive this Audience Award is such a thrill for all of us who worked on the film,” the filmmakers said.
The 16th annual SummerDocs Series additionally screened buzzy documentaries “Skywalkers: A Love Story” and “War Game.” Many past SummerDocs Series selections have continued down the awards path and have even won Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature Film; SummerDoc alum features include “The Eternal Memory,” “Navalny,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Summer of Soul.”
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is a presentation of DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, and CNN Films in association with Words+Pictures, and a production of Passion Pictures and Misfits Entertainment in association with Jenco Films. The documentary was written by director Ettedgui and co-written by director Bonhôte and Otto Burnham.
After an August 14 screening at the 2024 Hamptons Film SummerDocs Series, the documentary film “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” was presented with the event’s Audience Award.
The film’s executive producer Connor Schell and Christopher Reeve’s son Will attended the screening, where they participated in a Q&A conversation moderated by HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent and Chairman Emeritus Alec Baldwin.
“Each year our SummerDocs program aims to highlight powerful stories that challenge perceptions and open hearts and minds, and our audiences responded to ‘Super/Man’ for exactly those reasons,” Nugent said. “It was an incredible pleasure to host the film, Connor Schell, and Will Reeve in the Hamptons, and to recognize this beautiful tribute to Christopher Reeve with this summer’s award.”
“It is truly an honor to accept this award from the 2024 HamptonsFilm SummerDocs Series,” said Connor Schell upon receiving the award. “This year marks the 20th anniversary of Christopher Reeve’s passing, and our goal was always to bring his extraordinary story to life for a contemporary audience – so to receive this Audience Award is such a thrill for all of us who worked on the film.”
Previous winners of the Audience Award have gone on to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
Christopher Reeve found global fame as Hollywood’s era-defining Superman in the 1970s, but his life was forever altered when he was paralysed from the neck down following a 1995 spinal injury. From his beginnings as a theatre actor to his global superstardom to his life of post-accident advocacy, this beautiful, open-hearted portrait weaves together a warming cinematic blanket of archival footage, home movies, interviews with friends and family, the recurring presence of long-time pal Robin Williams, and Reeve himself narrating from his 1999 autobiography Still Me.
Inspiring a standing ovation at its Sundance premiere, this emotional cine-portrait is as complex, and at times conflicted, as Reeve himself. While chronicling the struggles and controversies that Reeve encountered after 1995, directors Ian Bonhôte (McQueen, MIFF 2018) and Peter Ettedgui also position the actor as a figure to explore disability advocacy and under-acknowledged struggles within the disabled community. Both Super/Man and its titular figure are powerful vessels of empathy and humanity.
Pound for pound, I don’t know that there will be a more emotionally resonant film in 2024 than “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.” I first saw this moving documentary back in January at the Sundance Film Festival, and quite frankly, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
Of course, I’ve always been a fan of Christopher Reeve and in fact, I will always maintain that his casting as Superman remains the superhero casting coup to which all others will forever be measured. As the man of steel, Reeve did so much more than make audiences truly believe a man could fly. He also made us believe that Superman and Clark Kent were actually two different people and I always felt like that was the true key to the overall effectiveness of “Superman” as a movie. Perhaps even more than the spectacular special effects, the incredible production design, John Williams’s unforgettable score, and the hit film’s much talked about reverence to the source material. That said, “Superman” is pure fantasy. This stellar documentary by comparison is real in every sense of the word.
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” traces Reeve’s career from his humble beginnings as a classically trained actor to his hitting the big time after being handpicked by director Richard Donner to play the world’s most famous superhero. Following his legendary turn as the man of steel, Reeve would appear in several other noteworthy films including “Deathtrap,” “The Remains of the Day,” “Noises Off,” “Somewhere in Time,” and “Street Smart,” just to name a few but ultimately, his life would forever be altered following a tragic equestrian accident that would leave him permanently paralyzed.
As directed by Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedugi, “Super/Man” is inspirational and moving in all of the ways you’d expect, but it certainly doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of Reeve’s highs and lows. Included; A strained relationship between he and his father as well as thoughts of suicide following a horrific accident that very well could have taken his life. Beyond that, “Super/Man” is punctuated by rare behind-the-scenes footage and candid interviews with the likes of Reeve himself as well as his loving wife, his adoring children, and many of his lifelong industry friends (i.e. Susan Sarandon, the aforementioned Donner, and a compassionate Robin Williams.)
As was the case with last year’s stellar Michael J. Fox documentary, “Still,” “Super/Man” emerges as so much more than a tribute to a world-famous actor. This is a movie filled with real pathos. It’s a story of courage and resiliency to be sure. In short, it’s a multifaceted look at a real-life superman and how, in many ways, Reeve was able to take a horrific negative and turn it into a monumental positive.
Some might argue that “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is an easy sell given the subject matter but believe me when I tell you, that makes this documentary no less powerful. This is moving stuff and by the time it comes to a close, you really will believe a man can fly. On a final note, you’d be well-advised to take a box of Kleenex with you because you’re going to need it.
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will receive a limited theatrical run on September 21st and 25th, courtesy of Warner Brothers and Fathom Events. You can expect a streaming service debut shortly thereafter.
