Sunshine Superman

There's an interesting charm of defying gravity and plummeting oneself from extreme places, swirling away from the nature, crowd and traffic below. Sunshine Superman is documentary about Carl Boenisch's life and his drive which pioneers extreme sport of base jumping. It's a humble, true to life outlook on his passion which is fascinatingly infectious and inspiring.

The movie depicts early days of base jumping before it was even called that. Using plenty of Carl's and his crew's perspective to display the thrill and deliver the brief few seconds where men take flight. Many of the clips come from retro films, which have surprisingly refined technical effect considering they had no advance tech or even GoPro back then and even had to use makeshift tools.

There's a bit of narrative to string everything together, aside from the actual interviews or personal clips. Contrary to the dangerous vibe the sport might present, Carl is a modest man. He's warm and avid about the life style, one can't help to be engage by his sheer energy. Many testimonies further set his personality, and even though he's not involved directly in this documentary, audience can still connect to the man.

It gives some ideas to casual viewers about the sport, how it began, the original team behind it and what kind of tribulation they went through. The movie is easily accessible, using simple terms and approachable real life people. Some of its high octane first person view of the sport is classic yet still exhilarating.

Sunshine Superman is a simple story about energetic man and the origin of intense sport. It presents the extraordinary nature of jumping from great heights and translates it into inviting and friendly experience for all viewers.

It is rare to see a documentary that feels like a full film Sunshine Superman feels like you have been to movies. It has drama, a love story and gorgeous aerial photography. I highly recommend seeing on the big screen. I saw the film in Atlanta with a crowd that gave it a standing ovation. It is a crowd pleaser yet also something deeper. The film explores themes of mortality , faith, inspiration, and what it means to be fully awake in the mad world. The soundtrack is fantastic the film is worth seeing for the soundtrack alone. Some will compare the film with Man on Wire. I think that is a bit too easy and not really true the film is deeper and and the characters richer. The poetic sensibilities are different and a bit more soft (in a good way) in Sunshine Superman.

This film made me cry and I am a man... It was a love story and also very visually exciting. I saw it in Toronto and I am going to see it again and again!! Carl Boenish was inspiring and really an amazing character study. I wish the film were a bit longer but other then that a perfect film. The old film footage was good to see. I loved the old news footage and the great style of the current day stuff. The ending scene was SICK!!!! IMDb is making me write more but really what I want to say is you should see it. My GF even liked it despite the fact she is afraid of heights. I felt like I wanted to try BASE jumping something I never would actually go and do. I think seeing is this film on the big screen is essential it is not a normal documentary.

As documentaries go this film was in the process of being made from the first day that Carl Boenish decided that it would be a cool idea to jump off of a very high cliff, and if at all possible, film his own descent by attaching a camera on to the top of his helmet. In todays technical environment of March 2016, with wing span suits, and more importantly Go Pro cameras that weigh less than two (2) pounds jumping off of a mountain cliff, or a building skyscraper roof is still a huge adrenalin rush, and yes, sky divers, or BASE jumpers as Carl Boenish coined his daredevil activity are still dying for their adrenalin rush today. The equipment used today in BASE jumping may be more technically advanced and safer but there is still a lot of danger and significant risk involved. BASE jumping, is an acronym for Buildings, Antennas, Spans and Earth.

I think what makes this documentary most interesting is some of the people who knew Carl and base jumped with him, as did his wife Jean Boenish hundreds of times, didn't talk about Carl being crazy, or egotistical, or even a film hog. No Carl Boenish was described by his friends, family, and peers as one of the most interesting and intriguing characters they have ever known. I can only imagine what Carl Boenish would be attempting to do if he were alive today. I am sure Carl would be a polar opposite of someone like Johnny Knoxville of the TV/film fame Jackass.

I was most impressed with the pre-planning Carl and his wife Jean would document before attempting any of their jumps. As their BASE jumping in the 1980's was a first not only for the USA, but around the world their reputation preceded them and their BASE jumps were breaking Guinness Book of World records right up to the days prior to Carl's untimely accident in 1984 in Norway.

This documentary reflects the true love (and more importantly trust) that Carl and Jean had in each other as they completed BASE jump after BASE jump with each other. Carl had a lust for life and continued to challenge not only himself but the other BASE jumpers who chose to jump with him. Knowing how the BASE jumping equipment has evolved over the past 30 years, and GoPro cameras light weight and camera resolution have redefined documentaries of today, one can only imagine what Carl and Jean Boenish would be capable of capturing on film today. Sunshine Superman is well worth watching and rates an 8 out of 10 score.

Greetings again from the darkness. When at a dinner party someone introduces themselves as "an engineer", we don't typically settle in for a long evening of tales describing their daredevil and death-defying hobbies. Filmmaker Marah Strauch teaches us being too quick to judge could cost us the exhilarating story of Carl Boenish, the father of BASE jumping.

Mr. Boenish was an engineer turned cinematographer turned skydiver and cliff jumper. Despite his unbridled energy and enthusiasm, his engineering background (Hughes Aircraft) provided the analytical foundation that helped him plan "safe" jumps for years. And it was his love of film and cinematography that produced a treasure trove of film clips from some breathtaking jumps … beginning with his 1978 leap from Yosemite's El Capitan.

The film is about Boenish's thirst for the next big jump, but it's also about his jumping partner and wife Jean, and the bond between them. GoPro cameras have spoiled us today. We are accustomed to film clips of just about anything that involves speed, height or any person looking for a thrill. Thirty plus years ago, such clips weren't possible … except with Boenish and his clunky cameras strapped to helmets on these jumps.

BASE jumping is an acronym for Building, Antenna, Span, Earth … the types of jumps required to join the ranks of Boenish's group. We witness the fights against national park Rangers, and the clandestine operations that led to jumps from under construction skyscrapers in Los Angeles and Houston. Boenish truly pushed the Nature's Law vs. Man's Law conflict.

Director Strauch takes us through the Guiness record jump at Norway's Troll Wall, and we even hear Jean stating that Carl would have been right there with today's wing suit jumpers. The final shot of a modern day "flyer" is quite the contrast to those early Boenish jumps. The film answers "How and Why", and leaves little doubt that the genetic make-up is quite different for this group of thrill-seekers than for the rest of us … and being an engineer doesn't exclude one from either group!