Christopher Reeve's Children Explore His Strengths and Weaknesses in New Documentary 'Super/Man'

NEW YORK (AP) — Christopher Reeve's children say they made a point of including 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 exactly what he is wanted wanted.

The film features family videos mixed with interviews and film clips from Reeve, who famously played the Superman role 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 the themes or videos used in their father's story.

“He wouldn’t have wanted to be seen through rose-colored glasses. He wanted art and cinema and factual, comprehensive storytelling, and that's what he got,” Reeves' youngest son, Will, told The Associated Press. “It’s important to us to be honest, raw and vulnerable and give a 360-degree view of a very human life, a very human family.”

Reeve, known as the Man of Steel – an avid athlete, sailor, skier and horse rider – was nearly killed in a horseback riding accident in 1995, leaving him paralyzed for the rest of his life. He used his platform to advocate for people with disabilities and founded a foundation in his name.

Directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui had access to some never-before-seen home videos of the Reeve family before and after the accident. “When we started making the film, they were adamant that they would share everything. They will share the archive, but they will share their emotional states…everything,” Bonhôte said. “It was their first time doing it and they wanted to do their best.”

Reeve had audio recorded his memoirs before his death in 2005, so his narration is only used in parts, increasing 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 returned to the US alone. Exton, who is interviewed in the film, shares powerful memories of this time, and Matthew and Alexandra admit that their father was not around regularly during their childhood.

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

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

“There is a scenario where things could have turned out differently,” Will Reeve said. “But because of the values ​​that our parents instilled in us, because of the way they let us into their lives, the good and the bad, the joyful and the tragic… that exposed us to the difficulties and joys of life prepared.”

One thing that impressed the directors most during their research was Reeve's commitment to helping others, even when he was physically limited in his own life. After Reeve and his family became paraplegic, they were shocked by the lack of resources for people with disabilities and began working Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to improve quality of life and fund research to cure people with spinal cord injuries.

“He allowed himself to feel sorry for himself for 10 or 15 minutes, and then he was on a mission to change the world. And I think that's very, very inspiring because … the family as a whole, Dana and the children, they faced a lot of difficulties, you know, the 24-hour care, the costs,” Bonhôte said. “So he would fight for those who are less privileged than him.”

Alexandra Reeve Givens has maintained advocacy in the family by working at the foundation and as a Washington lawyer and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology. She said it was powerful to reflect on her father's life.

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

The film will be released on Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of Reeve's death this month.

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

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