Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui

This documentary about the late Superman star eschews hagiography to give a satisfyingly rounded view of the ill-fated actor. It begins with news footage of the tragic accident in 1995 in which Reeve was thrown from a horse during a competition, leaving him paralysed from the neck down and in need of a ventilator, then toggles between Reeves’ post and pre-accident life. He grew up in a cultured and fairly affluent family in New Jersey. His father Franklin was an academic, translator, editor and poet, but evidently a negligent parent who flew to France the day to Christopher was born to go skiing. This neglect coloured Reeves’ subsequent relationships. His father was also judgemental and dismissive of his son’s efforts, possibly accounting for Christopher’s determination to excel. Reeve had only been in acting school a few months when he flew to London to audition for the part of Superman/Clark Kent, which he subsequently won. His career took flight and he married the British model Gae Exton with whom he had a child, but the relationship was unable to weather the temptations of fame for the young actor. His second, tirelessly devoted wife, Dana and their children, movingly describe his journey post-accident; his charity work and his seeming determination not to follow in his father’s footsteps. It’s a moving account of an exceptional man’s life which broadly avoids clumsy Man of Steel analogies, save for shots of a CGI Reeve/Icarus style sculpture with kryptonite green growths indicating where his body was damaged.

David Willoughby

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