Super/Man: L'histoire de Christopher Reeve

This was a fantastic documentary. I was fortunate enough to see this in theaters when it was shown on Christopher Reeve's birthday.

I was a little kid when the Superman movies were huge, and I was a teenager when Mr. Reeve had his accident. I remember most of what was shown in the film, as it happened, but I had not thought of it in so much detail until watching this. The documentary does and incredible job of capturing the highs and the lows of all of the events that took place during those times and after.

I want to give kudos to a few things: 1) As the story is told, there is a digital statue that is occasionally displayed that resembles Mr. Reeve/Superman. This was incredibly well used, down to displaying "Kryptonite" on it in a very creative way, when he was injured. A truly unique way to display this, whoever came up with that idea, and the artists that executed it, are brilliant. 2) My God, this man's family and friends are made of something special. From his wife, to his children, to Robin Williams and his wife, to Mr. Reeve's Ex and beyond, all of them dealt with this in a way that I do not believe most people are capable of. Most of us could only hope and pray that our family and friends would be able to support us to this degree, if we found ourselves in such a terrible situation. 3) Dana Reeve was an incredible human being.

I highly recommend this documentary.

An inspirational portrait of an extraordinary man who became a symbol of hope and resilience for so many, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will serve as a stirring introduction to some but for others, it's a moving reminder of what Christopher Reeve accomplished, endured and overcame. An emotional rollercoaster with some undeniably tear-jerking moments that absolutely got to me, seeing Reeve inspiring crowds with his resilience and firm passion towards helping his fellow man nets us to see a very different kind of Superman. It presents a person who perfected his craft, spoke to the world as if they were his equals and turned tragedy into something positive. Reeve was right when he said we need all the heroes we can get, Super/Man powerfully reminds us that all we need to do is look in the mirror to find one.

The film documents the rise, fall, and eventual re-rise of the actor's stellar career. Reeve's story is beautifully and lovingly told by those who were closest to him. Growing up in a broken home and without the support of his friends and colleagues, he became one of the best-known and most-loved screen personalities of the 1980s. The tale causes one to think about one's own life and fortunes, or lack thereof...Reeve had it all and lost it in a second, but through his stubborn perseverance was able to carve out a new niche for himself. Through it all, the love and support of his family stayed solid. Get ready for tears.

As a paraplegic of nearly 20 years, I knew this movie would be difficult at points, and it was...in all the very best ways. Though my paralysis is nowhere near as severe as Chris's, I could intimately relate to a lot of Chris's emotions as my past feelings and memories were brought to the surface. Trying to retain our sense of self - as well as our roles as a spouse, parent, sibling, and friend - and also continuing to be an active member of society is a difficult tightrope to navigate when our physical sense of being is irrevocably altered and we have to learn to accept this new normal. I could relate to much of Dana's perspective as a spouse as well; though I was not the caregiver in my marriage I experienced firsthand how it changes the marital dynamic. Many people living with disabilities don't have that kind of strength and devotion in their marriage like Chris and Dana did.

This film provides valuable insight into the life of individuals living with paralysis. If he as the most prominent figurehead of our community had these struggles, you can imagine how life can be for the average person rolling a similar path. Finally, having become paralyzed after Christopher Reeve, this film was a great reminder of all the ways my life would be different without his advocacy.

I cried a lot watching this Love letter of a movie. A love story between Christopher and Dana. And the love of children for their parents. And the love of the public for a famous person. When he died in 2004, I remember being in a hotel room in Galveston Texas.

It is the first time I truly cried over the death of someone I had never met. I was diagnosed with Cervical Dystonia in September of 1995, the same year as the accident that put Chris in a wheelchair. I am a scientist so I say, "our mission should not be complete until the wheelchair is obsolete." I could not believe he appeared at the Oscars so shortly after such a terrible accident. I broke down and cried. Yes, it is possible to love someone you have never met. He taught us all that we are "here for a reason!!"