'The Bridge' (18)

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Available for internet streaming/No evidence of DVD release

This documentary focuses on the suicides that occurred in 2004, specifically those who jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Filmed over the period of a year in 2004, ‘The Bridge’ focuses on the stories of those who committed suicide by interviewing those they are survived by, as well as showing the harrowing footage of the individuals pacing the Bridge, before jumping into the water. Yes, there are actual clips of people committing suicide in this documentary, some seen up close and others from afar. The documentary focuses on the confusion of those left behind, from parents, to siblings and friends, and those who were in the area at the time. We hear briefly about how each individual came to be in the space that caused them to end their lives, with lots of frank discussion on the effects mental illness and substance abuse. Most distressing are the interviews with parents of those who were mentally ill, where they speak honestly about how they knew their respective child would commit suicide and how their act as impacted upon their lives now. Similarly upsetting are the images of the people sitting on the railings of the Bridge, surrounded by other people going about their daily lives, who fail to do anything to stop what is obviously about to happen.

However, the documentary seems to have no ‘message’ – there seems no point in its existence because there is nothing to learn, except that people from different walks of life choose this particular place to commit suicide. There are no interviews with the authorities that work on this bridge and try to stop people from jumping, nor is there any indication that there will be any changes made to the structure of the bridge to make it less easy to jump off the side. Indeed, the only thing the film tells us for sure is that it’s pretty easy to walk out onto the ledge and then plunge into the water. There is no science behind it either – the whole thing is entirely subjective, and I couldn’t help but feel that some kind of indication of what happens to the human body after such a fall would have given the documentary a more rounded appeal. Also, why does the filmmaker focus mostly on the story of Gene? It seems that his story is no more or less tragic than anyone else’s, and yet it is the one that we keep returning to.

Overall, not a bad documentary as it features some interesting discussion on mental illness, but feels rather lacking in other areas.