Christopher Reeve, known as Superman to many, had a devastating fall from a horse in 1995 that left him paralyzed. At the time of the accident, he was a father of three, a devoted husband, and an avid outdoorsman. The thought of his life changing so dramatically left him in a state of depression, wondering if he wanted to live.
Christopher Reeve’s Wife Changed His Thinking
A new trailer posted on Instagram for the upcoming film Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story features legacy footage of Reeve recalling his heartache after learning he was paralyzed.
He said, “‘I ruined my life, and everybody else’s. I won’t be able to ski, sail, throw a ball to Will. Won’t be able to make love to Dana. Maybe we should let me go.”
But then Christopher recalled seven words from his wife, Dana Reeve, that changed the trajectory of his tragedy.
“And then she said the words that saved my life: ‘You’re still you. And I love you.’”
The documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, shares emotional interviews with Christopher’s three children, Matthew, 44, Alexandra, 40, and Will, 32. There is also family archival footage and interviews with friends like Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon, Jeff Daniels, and Glenn Close.
Christopher Reeve died in 2004 at age 52, and his wife died just two years later from lung cancer.
Matthew said at Sundance that the timing of the new movie is perfect.
“We knew … if we were ever going to do this, it had to be the right time and the right team and that we were going to give over our archive, our home movies, sit for some raw and vulnerable interviews, and then place all of our trust and faith in the team that had assembled around us and see what they came back with.”
He added, “And the end result here is remarkable, so our trust has certainly been rewarded,” he added, as the audience broke out in applause.
