The Bridge

San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge has long been a magnet for tourists, photographers, and—it seems—the suicidal. Nearly 1,300 people have jumped to their deaths from the bridge since it opened in 1937, and over the course of Eric Steel's controversial documentary The Bridge (shot during 2004), 23 people take fatal plunges (Steel filmed under shaky pretenses, obtaining official permission to set up multiple cameras on the bridge without revealing the purpose of his production). Putting aside the question of ethics for the moment, The Bridge presents a stunning if tragic look at individuals driven to the furthest extremes of despair and internal suffering. Interviews with family and friends of the jumpers reveal recurring patterns of untreated (or unsuccessfully treated) mental illness, yet it is difficult to predict which people seen on the bridge are actually preparing to take the leap—in several cases, the action occurs so abruptly that the sudden event comes as a gut-punch shock. The footage is harrowing and many viewers will find themselves increasingly agitated as the film progresses (there is, however, one non-fatality—a bipolar young man who, miraculously, survived the fall). Alex Heffes' haunting score beautifully frames this disturbing but thought-provoking film. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)