Goingbegging Once a fortnight on average, someone jumps to their death from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the most popular suicide spot in the western world. In 2004, Eric Steel decided to film the bridge for a solid year, in the hopes of capturing actual footage of people taking the plunge. To get permission from the National Park Service, he pretended he wanted to make a nature film. Well, we could say he succeeded, as the film reveals much about human nature, although we can sympathise with the protests of the NPS at this apparently shabby betrayal.The pre-title sequence, which actually looks not unlike a nature film full of beaches and seagulls, ends dramatically with a middle-aged man suddenly leaping from the bridge, though we don't catch more than about the first second of the four-second descent. For the rest of the film, we are kept wondering whether they ever did manage to shoot an entire jump, to be rewarded right at the end with a startling clip of a young man falling slowly backwards from the bridge and plummeting all the way to the water.Not surprisingly, the film divided critical opinion sharply. It was called everything from 'morally loathsome' to 'brutally honest', and someone even dubbed it an 'aesthetic whirlpool of horror, fascination, beauty, and resignation'. Many objected to the interviewing of the bereaved families before they were notified that their late kinsmen had been filmed in the act. But Steel claims that the families themselves were all in harmony with the project.My own feeling is that it was a cinematic moment that had to come sometime. Suicide is a curious taboo topic, sometimes treated as an obscenity. But this film might be viewed as a healthy airing of the subject. All the familiar themes are here, from pretend-suicide (the cry for help) to survivor-guilt, outright denial ("She must have tripped"), debate about suicide as a mortal sin, and the usual rather unedifying suicide notes. One of the mothers tells her son "You don't have a right to kill yourself while I'm alive." And he doesn't - until after her own death, when he says to a friend "Now I can end it all." And he does. There is also an interesting slant on the sheer notoriety of the location, 'a false romantic promise' that your death-leap will place you among the legendary figures of America. One reason why Scott kept his project secret is that he didn't want to attract attention-seekers trying to get their suicides immortalised, though one later jump was actually blamed on the film. On the other hand, the publicity caused the authorities to install a safety net, which may reduce both the casualty-count and the notoriety. The main, glaring fault is the overlapping of the stories, so that we often don't know which case (out of 24) is being discussed. Towards the end, there is an overlong and over-indulgent lament from one girl about some male victim, with no name to keep us in the loop - or not that I heard.Finally, against the odds, one of the 24 actually lived to tell the tale, apparently saved by a seal that buoyed-up his body at the crucial moment. He remains convinced that this was a biblical miracle in the full sense, and has been devoutly religious ever since.

tay-sedai I don't recall having heard about this documentary previously, but I just discovered it on Netflix, and immediately started watching it. It was very chilling seeing actual footage of suicides occurring from the Golden Gate Bridge, in particular that of Gene, whose footage we saw interspersed throughout the entire film.These people - who I mistakenly think of as characters, until I remember that they were real people and I was really seeing footage of them in their last moments - are people that anyone could know in their everyday life. And most of us have known at least someone who has made this sort of choice, so can relate to the pain those left behind are going through.This film seems to be not just about the suicides, but about the bridge itself - the bridge is almost a character in itself, and some of the footage of fog rolling in and obscuring the bridge is pretty eerie and haunting. It was very well done, and the subjects of the film were treated with respect and dignity.I found this film to be haunting, disturbing, upsetting, and also moving. I really felt for those who were interviewed in the aftermath, and could relate to their feelings.

Terry McGhee The Bridge is a documentary about the Golden Gate Bridge and the tragic loss of life that is voluntary given by so many. The film makers captured 23 of the 24 suicides that took place from the bridge in 2004, and show the stories and footage from some of those who jumped to their death as well as a survivor and a rescue. While the subject matter is very dark and bleak, the stories run the full spectrum from awe inspiring and forgiving to maddeningly depressing. It is an eye opening look at something that we as a society choose not to see, or choose not to think about. Eric Steele directs the documentary while conducting interviews with witnesses and family members of those who are no longer with us. Some have found an understanding and carry with them a forgiveness for those who chose to end their lives while others are still questioning and baffled by the loss. For anyone who has dealt with mental illness in their lives, whether it be through a family member, friend, or even themselves, there is a very real feel to the stories that one can easily understand. For those who have never experienced something as chaotic as mental illness, the film offers great insight into the human psyche and just how far we all are and feel from time to time.From the thermals that warp the footage on hot days to the clouds and fog that roll into the bay and shroud the bridge in a mist, the film brings the viewer right up to the cold damp railing and lets you experience the rumble that vibrates through it as well as the bounce that you feel when you stand upon the bridge as a truck drives by. From the people who refuse to look up from their shoes as they walk by someone sitting on the railing to those who stop and try to talk to them, there is a sense of tragic loneliness as well as heroic interception that the film brings to the screen so beautifully in an agonizing way.

hedgehogmomma This was a very heartbreaking but interesting documentary.If you cannot handle death this movie is not for you,i can understand how some people would find it too much to watch.I give credit to the film maker for bringing this issue to light,i had no idea as the same as most people.The film follow the story's of every person they film jumping which i appreciated a lot.They interview everyone family or friends which gives you background on why these people did this.its sad and interesting why people are drawn to this bridge to die.There is a interview from a kid that survived the jump,that was a good one.My jaw was dropped during most of the film,i appreciated it but like i said its not for everyone.