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Sunshine Superman
A heart-racing documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE-jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular -and dangerous- feats of foot-launched human flight. Experience his jaw-dropping journey in life and love, to the pinnacle of his achievements when he and wife Jean broke the BASE-jumping Guinness World Record in 1984 on the Norwegian 'Troll Wall' mountain range. Incredibly, within days, triumph was followed by disaster. Told through a stunning mix of Carl's 16mm archive footage, well-crafted re-enactments and state-of-the-art aerial photography, Sunshine Superman will leave you breathless and inspired.
3 April 1941, USA
26 October 1946, Chicago, Illinois, USA
December 24, 2015
Ever watched an extreme sports enthusiast leap off a mountain to his death? No? Then you haven't seen this bittersweet biopic about a compulsive base jumper with a death wish.
November 10, 2015
Heart-stopping cliff-jumping doc.
November 12, 2015
This is still a wonderful portrait of a man who chose to embrace life to its fullest whilst biting his thumb at gravity.
November 15, 2016
The unabashed freedom and high spirits of the film are almost overshadowed by the brutally sobering ending.
December 23, 2015
This documentary about Carl Boenish, founder of modern BASE jumping is a captivating portrait of a man unlike any other. Not just an adrenaline junkie, but a superb cinematographer, technical wizard, philosopher, filmmaker and promoter of his sport.
June 08, 2015
[A] spectacular and affecting portrait.
May 04, 2016
Sunshine Superman is a touch long, and at times pedestrian but it's still a moving, thrilling story.
July 28, 2015
You may find "Sunshine Superman" exhilarating or you may find "Sunshine Superman" terrifying, but you almost surely will not find it boring.
June 04, 2015
Long before there were GoPros, there was Boenish, a camera mounted on his helmet, jumping from Yosemite's El Capitan or L.A. skyscrapers under construction.
May 29, 2015
Boenish's wife, Jean, who trained to jump with him, is interviewed extensively, and, although Strauch doesn't provide much backstory for her, she emerges as that rarity -- a perfect matchup to a seemingly unmatchable man.
June 08, 2015
While the doc takes a conventional and even pedestrian approach -- with multiple talking-head interviews and some re-enactments with actors -- there is also plenty of spectacular archival footage showing jumps dating back to the 1960s.
June 09, 2015
Engrossing, tension-filled and utterly fascinating.
