The Bridge

Dir. Eric Steel

There is absolutely no doubt that The Bridge is not the easiest movie to watch. Interestingly, at the viewing I attended, the Samaritans (a volunteer group who run a 24-hour confidential hotline to listen to people in need) were present and it was announced that they would be in the lobby after the film to sit with anyone who needed to talk. I scoffed at this a little, thinking it unnecessary – everyone in the movie theatre was an adult, after all, and knew what they were about to watch. But, when the credits rolled, I could completely understand how this film could affect people so much that maybe they needed to sit down and talk to someone.

The Bridge was filmed throughout 2004, by several stationary cameras aimed at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The filmmakers were not overly forthcoming with what their movie was really about when they sought permission to film the bridge. And for good reason – no city council in the world is going to willingly let you film people jumping to their deaths from a city icon. As you’d expect, this film and the people who made it have been highly criticised by many – critics, people in the mental health sector, the people of San Francisco. But what Eric Steel has done is make a completely non-judgmental film about suicide – America’s number one killer – which, in my opinion, is quite a feat.

This, I assure you, is not a voyeuristic snuff movie. Some critics have called it such and I very much think they miss the point entirely. Yes, we see people jump from the bridge and hit the water. Twenty-four people died this way in 2004. And, yes, this is a film about death. But, more than that, this is a film about how people cope with death, and with life for that matter. This is a film as much about the people left behind as about the people who took their lives. And, in the end, it is an immensely interesting and thought-provoking piece of cinema – how would you react if your friend/son/daughter/sister chose to end their life in this way?

The array of reactions to suicide in this film is vast – from the parents who seem to really have come to terms with their son’s death and talk about suicide in an almost objective way; to the friend who can only feel angry; to the woman who feels only guilt. And this is what makes The Bridge a powerful film – not the sight of a body falling (in the highly CGIed age we live in, it is difficult to truly connect with such a scene), but the reaction of the family member or friend or passer-by who witnesses the fall. These interviews are extremely moving and incredibly honest.

I don’t want to disregard what has made this film so controversial – the filming of the bridge itself and the scenes of people jumping from it. There were gasps from the audience. But interestingly, I don’t think people looked away. There is a fascination with what drives someone to commit suicide and that fascination glued us to the screen – perhaps we can get some glimpse into their motives; perhaps by watching them fall we can understand them better. I certainly didn’t feel repulsed, the film was extremely tastefully edited, and I didn’t think the filmmakers were glorifying their subject.

Another criticism is that this movie is slow and repetitive. It is a quiet film; it has a subdued tone – perhaps out of respect more than anything else. But it certainly didn’t drag and it was definitely compelling (how could it not be?!) There was also the story of the man who jumped and survived. And the footage of the girl who tried several times but was stopped by the police or, in one comical scene, by a passer-by. Yes, it’s all about suicide, but as we know, it is an extremely complex and varied subject.

I wouldn’t recommend The Bridge to everyone. I think you will know whether it is something you can handle watching or not. For me, it is without a doubt one of the best documentaries I have ever seen and will stay with me for a very long time indeed. This is powerful stuff.

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Witness [after witnessing a suicide]: When I talked to the highway patrolman, I asked him "Is this a rare occurrence or does this happen a lot?" And he looked at me and he sort of smiled and he said, "It happens all the time."