The Bridge Reviews

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

2006's The Bridge begins with a montage of serene everyday goings-on at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Here, director Eric Steel lulls us into a false sense of security through peaceful shots of birds flying over the water, waves breaking into the harbour, and pedestrians conducting their ordinary business. But then, a middle-aged man climbs over the tiny barrier at the side of the bridge and leaps into the abyss below without a moment's hesitation. You might initially believe that this scene is the result of elaborate stunt work or digital effects, but it is the real deal. It sets the tone for what is about to come. And if you cannot stomach this staggering initial footage of an actual suicide, you will not be able to deal with the rest of this ghoulish documentary, which contains authentic footage of numerous suicides.

The Golden Gate Bridge holds the dubious distinction of being the world's most popular suicide destination, with citizens leaping off the bridge once a fortnight on average. Throughout 2004, Steel and his team set up cameras on both the north and south sides of the bridge, recording all day for the entire year to capture images of people falling into the water below. During the year, twenty-four people committed suicide, and Steel's team caught twenty-three of them on camera. It is powerful and confronting, even though we often only see a splash or a close-up of a tiny human blur falling out of frame, with the camera operator struggling to follow the jumper. The Bridge is by no means an exploitative snuff film, however. Steel also recorded hundreds of hours of interviews with the families and friends of those who took their lives, and this material is intercut with the suicide footage to explore possible motivations and give us a portrait of several of the jumpers and the impact of their actions.

Steel wisely eschews voiceover narration, and he uses well-judged soundtrack choices and straight-to-camera testimonials with interviewees without the aid of spoken questions. It may make the structure feel more jumbled, but it turns The Bridge into a genuine experience and a mood piece. Moreover, Steel doesn't baulk from exploring the possibility that some jumpers do not deserve our pity. It is often said that suicide is selfish, especially if it's a public suicide that will permanently disturb the strangers around you. Steel interviews a family of bystanders who witnessed one of the suicides, and the film emphasises that someone's death wish destroyed this family's pleasant day out. As a consequence, the children will forever be traumatised. A less skilful documentary would paint the jumpers in a far more sympathetic light, but The Bridge presents differing perspectives without bias and lets us judge the people for ourselves.

One of the most effective constituents of The Bridge is the testimony of Kevin Hines, a young man who jumped off the bridge in the year 2000 but ultimately decided he wanted to live while falling. Hines managed to survive the fall with severe injuries and went on to become a spokesperson for suicide and mental health. The Bridge also explores the story of Gene Sprague, one of the men who jumped in 2004. We hear fragments of Gene's story sprinkled throughout the movie, occasionally seeing glimpses of Gene as he paces back and forth on the bridge, the wind whipping his long black hair. At the film's end, we finally see him climb over the railing and fall into the waters below. We may have seen numerous suicide images before this moment, but it is a wholly different experience after the film allows us to acquaint ourselves with Gene and spend so much time with him. In the end, it is unbearable to see Gene end his life.

Despite the film's strengths, there is simply not enough here. It feels as if Steel did not go far enough, as he could have delved into the problem of suicide more deeply by including interviews with experts discussing the psychology behind the jumpers. Considering this is Steel's first documentary effort, though, The Bridge is a remarkable, eye-opening experience. It's sad and moving, and it will linger in your mind long after viewing.

8.1/10