'Sunshine Superman' shows appeal of cliff-jumping
'Superman' centers on legendary engineer-turned-cliff-jumper Carl Boenish, who dove off mountains and high-rise buildings before losing his life in the mountains of Norway in 1984.
'Superman' stars Jean (l.) and Carl (r.) Boenish.
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Marah Strauch鈥檚 documentary 鈥淪unshine Superman鈥� is about聽legendary engineer-turned-cliff-jumper Carl Boenish, who had an聽exhilarating time diving off mountains and high-rise buildings before聽losing his life in the mountains of Norway in 1984.聽
Boenish avidly filmed聽his exploits, and the 16-mm footage of him and his fellow jumpers attests to the sport鈥檚 freewheeling appeal 鈥� not to mention its聽arrant foolhardiness. But the film doesn鈥檛 allow for too many of my these-people-are-nuts qualms. Call me a wimp.聽
Boenish鈥檚 wife, Jean, who聽trained to jump with him, is interviewed extensively, and, although聽Strauch doesn鈥檛 provide much backstory for her, she emerges as that rarity聽鈥� a perfect matchup to a seemingly unmatchable man. Grade:聽B- (Rated PG for thematic elements, some language, smoking, and a brief nude image.)