While 2016 has seen some significant big-screen action for the Man of Steel, his most moving live-action scene of the year might actually come from something with a far smaller budget: A short fan-made film entitled "It All Goes Away", directed and produced by Zachariah Smith (via io9).

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Loosely based on Sam's Story from "Superman/Batman" 26, cover dated June 2006, the short tells the tale of how a young Clark Kent is forced to confront human mortality, and his ability to shape his own destiny, when a school friend becomes sick and dies from bone cancer.

Scripted by Jeph Loeb and with art by Tim Sale, Sam's Story drew on the experience of Loeb's son Sam, who died of bone cancer in 2006 at the age of 17.

While Superman himself barely appears in "It All Goes Away", the impressively-shot short succinctly captures the idealist, aspirational essence of the character, as well as the beauty of the old Kent farmstead. It could well be that Zachariah Smith is a name to watch for, with a promising future in film ahead.

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And, if you haven't read the original comic, which also contains a strip plotted by Sam Loeb, illustrated by medley of artists including Art Adams and John Cassaday, you can purchase it digitally via Comixology.