What is it to be an alien?

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story — 3.5/5

Yet another movie that makes me cry, while also leaving me empty. Do I know Christopher Reeve better? Yes. Do I have a better understanding of him? Ehhhh. Often, Dana Reeve feels like the more interesting person here. Christopher Reeve feels compelled by necessity; she feels compelled by love. He must prove something to his father. He must walk again. I believe in my whole heart that to be good, truly good, you must sacrifice something of yourself. His sacrifices are born of pain, of the world that has happened to him. Hers are born of personal choice. At the end, Christopher Reeve tries to sum up being a hero as being ordinary, and overcoming the insurmountable obstacles of everyday existence. I think that's a definition of resilience, not heroism. But I do think it sums up Christopher Reeve: he tried to bring Superman down to earth.

Stray thoughts (I will begin doing stray thoughts):

• I really enjoyed the 3D Christopher Reeve/Superman floating in space that they would often return to. It's a beautifully abstract way to connect the emotional dots of a real life story and just, in general, make a documentary more visually interesting. 

• Given the giant Superman-shaped cloud over the whole proceedings, it would have been fun to intersperse his story with that of Superman's. Namely, he (ultimately) and Dana (especially) seemed to be great parents, and they've got great kids as a result. "Doomed Planet. Desperate Scientists. Last Hope. Kindly Couple." That last one's the kicker. Pa and Ma Kent are integral to the origin of Superman. He was born great, but he was raised to be good.