By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Eric Steel
Country: united_states
Year: 2006
Running time: 93
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799954/
Bruce says: “The Golden Gate Bridge is a majestic beauty. Filmmaker Eric Steel captures the gorgeous orangey-red structure
(it’s not really gold at all) from many angles. As the film begins he familiarizes his audience with all the activities on and below the bridge. There are sailboats, cruise ships, tugboats, fishing boats, kayakers, windsurfers, and many varieties of sea-birds in the waters below. People walk and jog along San Francisco Bay as they pass underneath by the huge cement and steel supports. On the city side of the bridge (the ocean side is usually closed to foot traffic), a bride and groom appear on the walkway among
bicyclists and tourists. As people mill about, a single man enters the frame. His body language is not normal. He appears agitated or disturbed. Suddenly he climbs the railing and jumps.
“In 2004, twenty four people jumped to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge. Using two cameras, one stationary and one manually scanning the bridge during daylight hours, Steel filmed the bridge every day of that year. Some suicides were prevented as the film crew or passersby called 911. One woman was rescued several times by bridge authorities during the year. Many of the twenty four suicides were captured on film. I must admit that the suspense was excruciating as the camera tracks individuals who may or may not jump. Steel zeros in on five main subjects who did jump. Through friends and family we learn about Gene, Lisa, David and Philip, their bouts with depression, their overwhelming struggles to get through what the rest of us would call a normal day. Kevin talks to the camera directly. He is a rare one that was rescued form the Bay’s turbulent waters. Kevin talks graphically about changing his mind between the bridge rail and the water and how he straightened his body upright to avoid sudden death.
“Long in favor of suicide as a possible solution to chronic depression or unbearable pain, I find many open-minded people get very moralistic and strangely conservative when the subject is raised. Seeing this film is a reminder that although suicide is a solitary act, the effects are far reaching. THE BRIDGE triggers the philosophical complexities. The filmmaker was wise to let the individual stories raise pertinent issues and let each viewer come to his/her own conclusion. Steel edited out all the many hours of expert testimony, opinions which tend to couch any subject in terms of right or wrong. Many of the interviews are fascinating. The parents of two of the five believe that their children are better off. Several friends focus less on the chronic anguish aspect, viewing the act of suicide as a personal loss. Some friends and family suffer guilt because they didn’t do enough or because they couldn’t find the ever elusive panacea in time to save their loved one. Some place blame, others demonstrate anger or relief.
“Throughout THE BRIDGE, images of Gene – dressed in black, long hair flowing in the wind – are interspersed with interviews and other shots. His suicide is the most dramatic. The day of his suicide the camera tracked his actions for 93 minutes which is the length of the finished film. This has to go down as the strangest tribute in history. 4.5 cats
“THE BRIDGE was shown as part of the 2006 Woodstock Film Festival.”