The Bridge (2006)

This is probably one of the best films ever made on the subject of Suicide-especially documentaries-although that's probably a short list and, now that I think about it, I can't think of even one other documentary made solely about it. Visually it's very atmospheric and, as a New York Times reviewer called it "eerie and indelible," using the otherworldly imagery of San Francisco and its bay with its "foggy then sunny then foggy again" climate to visually suggest the shifting moods of the films subjects, to suggest the ephemeral quality of life itself and that is also evocative of perhaps how illusory any idea that one can ever totally understand all that one might like to about the troubling subject matter just might be.Before going any further, an important disclaimer needs to be made about this film. Much has been made about the footage showing actual deaths by suicide but that is just a part of this film. Indeed, one could (at least until it was eventually taken down) post a suicide compilation on YouTube and forgo any attempt to "tell a story" but that's not what the film is. Before you dismiss the film out of hand because you think that what it is, consider my opinion.For all the hoopla over suicides being filmed that is not even the real core (and strength) of The Bridge (or the part I'll take away from it)...it's the interviews. The interviews with victims' family members, friends and the witnesses that are the real heart of this film and give it's lasting impact and meaning. The film is not really about the actual act of killing one's self...it is about the emotional aftermath of doing so and the struggle of others to understand why. The interview and shots I'll probably never forget are of one of the survivor sisters trying to fathom how her sister could have jumped, since she considered herself to be stronger than her deceased sister, interspersed with shots taken from the bridge of the water waiting below from the POV of a jumper. To me, this visually underscored one of the main points of the film. If you're not truly suicidal, you'll never really "get" that decision or what really goes on in the head of someone who is.On the other hand, for me personally, this was the first time (despite school assemblies for suicide prevention that I've attended, etc.) that I've actually understood what suicide victims either: 1) can't comprehend; or 2) dismiss because they are "on 'their' own hype" as one jumper who actually survived puts it...the effects of their acts on their family, friends and even the startled people who witnessed their acts, which in one case involved a small child.In terms of a review, it's difficult to measure the films success because filmmaker Eric Steel doesn't either explicitly or strongly declare what message he is trying to send with the film. However, it's for precisely this reason and because of the understanding it imparted to me (and I believe will to others) that I consider it to be one of the best documentaries ever made. It's for this first reason too that I consider it far superior to any of Michael Moore's work, in which, he almost didactically tells you what he wants you to think after seeing his films.Several points of criticism needed to addressed here. First, that filmmakers didn't try to prevent the suicides. This is false. Steel said in a subsequent interview that the crew did report what was going when it happened. In regards to the film being exploitative, I simply disagree. The suicide footage is necessary to demonstrate both the magnitude of the problem (on the Golden Gate Bridge and in society, in general) and the fact that this actually happened...which is what makes a Documentary a Documentary and not a Narrative, fictional film.The last two criticisms are perhaps the strangest of all and come from government officials. The first is that Steel didn't tell them the true purpose for filming the bridge. The deceit in obtaining the film permit was necessitated by the larger problem...which is an issue in and of itself...that the authorities cover this problem up in regards to the Golden Gate Bridge. Of course, they justify this by saying media attention draws jumpers but it is worth noting that not one person in this film was alleged to have jumped simply because others had. Interestingly though, Steel himself seems to share this concern but cited this as the reasoning for not disclosing his real reason for filming.The final criticism, conveyed basically as a complaint/comment from a bridge official that the film was an "invasion of privacy" is not only strange...but preposterous. These people jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge in broad daylight at busy times...and in some cases, all but engaged stunned onlookers! There can be no more public means of taking one's own life. This had to factor into why they did what they did so they had no reasonable expectation of privacy in doing it.What about my recommendation? The Bridge is about difficult subject matter and may not be for everyone. However, if you want to understand the problem of suicide on the microcosm level...or just learn more about some of the darker aspects of the world we live in to get a better, more wholistic understanding of the world we live in...this is one of the best films for that. It is very effective and intelligent about its subject matter. It treats the suicide victims with respect, their families and others with compassion and does not glamorize suicide.

I don't recall having heard about this documentary previously, but I just discovered it on Netflix, and immediately started watching it. It was very chilling seeing actual footage of suicides occurring from the Golden Gate Bridge, in particular that of Gene, whose footage we saw interspersed throughout the entire film.These people - who I mistakenly think of as characters, until I remember that they were real people and I was really seeing footage of them in their last moments - are people that anyone could know in their everyday life. And most of us have known at least someone who has made this sort of choice, so can relate to the pain those left behind are going through.This film seems to be not just about the suicides, but about the bridge itself - the bridge is almost a character in itself, and some of the footage of fog rolling in and obscuring the bridge is pretty eerie and haunting. It was very well done, and the subjects of the film were treated with respect and dignity.I found this film to be haunting, disturbing, upsetting, and also moving. I really felt for those who were interviewed in the aftermath, and could relate to their feelings.

You can sit and question the morals of this film forever and never come to an answer. You can sit and think to yourself, hey, why is someone filming this and not saving this person's life? You can sit and scream stop. What are you doing?? But the fact remains that if someone has reached the point where it seems that death is a beautiful and peaceful solution; then you can save them all you want but they'll always find a solution.As I watched this documentary, it was like time stopped around me and I entered a trance. Witnessing death is a feeling that words cannot explain. This film has made me experience feelings that I have never felt in my life. Hearing the stories of their loved ones, and the witnesses makes you feel like you know these people which makes it harrowing as you watch them fall with such elegance and grace.I was particularly touched by the death of Gene Sprague for a reason I do not know. His death is so majestic and peaceful that it brought me to tears.This film is brilliant, and if you think you're having a hard time then watch this and get some perspective. It's beautifully filmed and for the first time in my life, I completely zoned out in this film as if time froze which gives it my 10 stars.

Yes, this film is mesmerizing and beautifully shot, but mostly this film comes off as exploitive and morbid. I can't abide by film makers standing by with cameras rolling while people are positioning themselves to end their lives.And while I can't hate this film entirely, I did soon grow very weary of it and I was able to realize why one of the suicide jumpers jump was being held off shown until the very end of the film. For that reason alone I should hate this film, but I am cynical enough to realize why the film was made this way and to some extent I accept it. However, that does not mean that I have to admire or like it.I can't recommend this film, but I believe that the morbid curiosity that exists within got the better of me, but I am certainly no better now because of it.