NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Christopher Reeve鈥檚 children say they made a point to include all the complexities of their father鈥檚 life 鈥 his strengths and weaknesses 鈥 in the new documentary 鈥淪uper/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story鈥 鈥 because that鈥檚 what he would have wanted.
The film includes family home videos, mixed with interviews and movie clips of Reeve, who famously played Superman in four films, in addition to other acting and directing roles later in his career. Reeve鈥檚 three children, Matthew, Alexandra and Will Reeve, say there were no restrictions on topics or video used in their father鈥檚 story.
鈥淗e wouldn鈥檛 have wanted to be viewed through rose-colored glasses. He would want art and cinema and factual, comprehensive storytelling and that鈥檚 what he got,鈥 Reeve鈥檚 youngest son, Will told The Associated Press. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to us to be honest and raw and vulnerable and give a 360-degree view of a very human life, of a very human family.鈥
Known as the Man of Steel, Reeve 鈥 an avid athlete, sailor, skier and horseman 鈥 was nearly killed in a 1995 horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed for the rest of his life. He used his platform to become an advocate for people with disabilities, starting a foundation in his name.
Directors Ian Bonh么te and Peter Ettedgui were able to access some never-before-seen home movies of the Reeve family before and after the accident. 鈥淲hen we started to make the film, one of the things they were adamant (about) is that they will share everything. They will share the archive, but they will share their emotional states 鈥 everything,鈥 Bonh么te said. 鈥淭hat was the first time they were going to do it, and they were going to go all out.鈥
Reeve had recorded audio of his memoir 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 was living in the U.K. before Reeve decided he needed a break and moved back to the U.S. alone. Exton, who is interviewed in the film, shares compelling memories of that time, and Matthew and Alexandra admit their father was not around regularly during their childhood.
Other interviews include Susan Sarandon and Glenn Close, who befriended Reeve after he graduated from the Julliard School and started taking on acting roles in New York. Close suggests in the film that Reeve and Robin Williams 鈥 Julliard classmates and close friends 鈥 had a deep connection and that if Reeve were still alive, .
Reeve鈥檚 kids say the process of going through their archives and being interviewed for the film gave them a new perspective and appreciation of their dad. Will Reeve was only 12 when his father died. His mother, Dana, was Now an ABC News correspondent, Reeve says he was fortunate to have had family and close friends help raise him and considers himself 鈥減retty well-adjusted.鈥
鈥淭here鈥檚 a scenario in which things could have turned out differently,鈥 Will Reeve said. 鈥淏ut because of the values instilled in us by our parents, because of the way that they let us into their lives, the good and the bad, the joyous and the tragic 鈥 that prepared us for life鈥檚 difficulties and life鈥檚 joys.鈥
One thing that impressed the directors most in their research was Reeve鈥檚 commitment to help others even after he was physically limited in his own life. After becoming a quadriplegic, Reeve and his family were shocked at the lack of resources for people with disabilities and started the to help improve quality of life and fund research for a cure for people with spinal cord injuries.
鈥淗e allowed him(self) to have 10 or 15 minutes of self-pity, and then he was on a mission to change the world. And I think that鈥檚 very, very inspiring because 鈥 the family as a whole, Dana and the kids, they faced a huge amount of difficulties, you know, 24-hour care, the cost,鈥 Bonh么te said. 鈥淪o he would fight for those that are less privileged than him.鈥
Alexandra Reeve Givens has kept up the advocacy in the family, working on the foundation and as a Washington attorney and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology. She said reflecting on her father鈥檚 life was powerful.
鈥淭o see those elements of his character that stayed constant throughout his life: the commitment, the intensity, the passion, the strength,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hose 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.鈥
The film is being widely released Friday to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Reeve鈥檚 death this month.
Matthew Reeve鈥 a writer, producer and director 鈥攕ays the film reemphasized lessons the family learned from their parents, including the fragility of life.
鈥淚 think what it also instilled in us very early on was this deep sense of gratitude of everything, from being thankful that he survived the accident to an enduring gratitude that tomorrow is not promised and that you have to really value the present,鈥 he said.
