Mankind may institute the laws of the land, but gravity is the law of the universe, and those are the only rules Carl Boenish abides by. The father of the BASE jumping movement, Boenish’s story and the extreme-sport culture at large is examined in the euphoric documentary, Sunshine Superman.

This film is so much more than watching people jump off mountains and buildings; director Marah Strauch finds a goldmine when talking to Carl’s family and friends as we discover just who this fearless man was. It will no doubt leave you with chills, and maybe a few tears.

Growing up in Hawthorne, CA (shout out to my hometown), Carl worked as an electrical engineer, amateur filmmaker, and skydiving enthusiast. The film takes us through his early years, his law-breaking shenanigans and meeting the love of his life, Jean, whom he later married. Everyone who knew him all said the same thing, Carl had “Peter Pan” syndrome and he was just a big child at heart who never really grew up.

The little things excited him, and his energy was contagious. His enthusiasm for life, exploration, and nature’s miracles knew no bounds. Perhaps that’s why it was seemingly so effortless for him to dangle 3,000 ft off of El Capitan mountain in Yosemite National Park on a bicycle seat while BASE jumpers lunged off cliffs to ensure the best aerial footage for his ever-growing video library.

This footage proves to be some of the film’s most rewarding moments, the candidness of their relationship personifies not just a love story between an man and a woman, but also a man and nature.

The genesis of BASE jumping, which is actually an acronym for Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth, started with Carl in the 1970s. In order to call yourself a BASE jumper, one must have jumped off of each of the fixed objects. His obsession with the sport took him all over the world, and he was finally able to share his experience with someone special when he married Jean.

Well before the days of the Go-Pro camera, Carl and Jean strapped large cameras on their heads and documented all of their conquests. This footage proves to be some of the film’s most rewarding moments; the candidness of their relationship personifies not just a love story between a man and a woman, but also between man and nature.

Sunshine Superman is so uniquely powerful because its story is told through both Boenish’s old 16mm archive footage of his jumps, as well as Strauch’s vision for state-of-the-art aerial photography. The naturalness of weaving footage from past to present is effective in giving the story its euphoric vibe. Not that it needs any special effects, but I can’t even imagine what this film would look like in 3D.

It hits you about a quarter through the film that Carl is noticeably absent during interviews. Since this a historical documentary, there are no real spoilers here. In fact, the image above is the Norwegian “Troll Wall” mountain, the location where Carl and Jean jumped off of to claim the Guinness World Record in 1984 for the highest BASE jump, two days before his ultimate death.

As charming as Carl was, his naivetés to human limits was his critical downfall. Claiming the angel wings on his back (AKA his parachute) would always guide him to safety, Carl jumped from a cliff that was just days before deemed “suicidal.” Tests proved that no one could safely jump from that area of the mountain, but Carl liked a challenge, and ultimately that cliff claimed his life. This moment in the film is sobering, and will no doubt leave you with chills.

Jean knows her reaction to his death is weird, and the way she deals with the loss seems odd. But to Jean, a stoic woman who suppresses her feelings as opposed to wearing them on her sleeve, this is only natural. She goes to the spot where Carl took his last jump just a short time before. She jumps, and lands, only to be greeted by a throng of onlookers inspired by her bravery. “It’s what he would have wanted,” she says.

Sunshine Superman is more than just a documentary about the BASE jumping movement or Carl Boenish; it’s a testament to the human spirit and nature’s infinite beauty. Marah Strauch captures here not only arresting visuals, she effortlessly sums up emotions, and extremely inspiring ones at that.

Sunshine Superman opens in LA at The Landmark and in NY at the Sunshine Cinema 5 this Friday with a national rollout May 29th.