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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.
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