Bridge

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 10 27 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 741952312291

Studio: Koch Lorber Films

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Situations, Profanity]

Summary: Inspired by a New Yorker story, "Jumpers," written by Tad Friend, director Eric Steel decided to train cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge over the course of 2004 to capture the people who attempted to leap off the famed structure, the site of more suicides than anywhere else in the world. He also tracked down and interviewed the friends, family members, and eyewitnesses to further recreate the events leading up to the incident and to try to explain what led these people to want to kill themselves, especially at this specific site. The documentary's primary subjects all struggled with mental illness, including severe depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders, and the documentary struggles to understand their illness while illuminating the anger and hurt of their loved ones. Most questions remain unanswered, turning on the darker recesses of the mind. The shots of the bridge wreathed in fog turn the Golden Gate into a metaphor for a bridge between life and death, sanity and mental disturbance, and extreme isolation and connection with society. Though the camera crew worked with a set of guidelines, including that they would call in someone they thought was going to jump, the documentary still includes lengthy footage of the moments leading up to and including the suicides, so discretion is advised for sensitive viewers. ~ Michael Buening, Rovi

Category: Culture & Society

Awards: Film Presented – Rome International Film Festival Film Presented – null Film Presented – London Film Festival

Features: Behind-the-scenes featurette
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline PSA

Bridge

Format: DVD

Release Date: 06/12/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 94 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Chapters: Disc #1 -- The Bridge
1. A Common Occurrence [7:57]
2. Gene [1:26]
3. Lisa [7:30]
4. A Family Recounts [5:35]
5. Wally & Mary Manikow [15:58]
6. A Photographer's Perspective [8:23]
7. Kevin Hines: A Survivor's Struggle [14:34]
8. Process of Deciding [5:48]
9. David, Ruby and Jim [13:20]
10. A False Romanticism [3:05]
11. The Hurt Left Behind [7:02]
12. End Credits [3:34]

Michael Buening

The Bridge is an intense viewing experience, a documentary that addresses death with a candidness rare in any forum. It is far more respectful and nuanced than the shocking premise sounds, a moving thoughtful sympathetic rumination on the vagaries of mental illness. It opens and repeatedly returns to footage taken of the Golden Gate Bridge, showing it throughout the day, in different weather, following random pedestrians, before lingering on someone who looks like they'll jump. The effect is to lull the viewer into a meditative state about his or her own mortality. However, director Eric Steel is walking a very precarious line with his repeated use of footage of people committing suicide, running the risk of exploiting the deaths for voyeuristic thrills. This filmmaker's dilemma is never discussed, instead focusing on the jumpers and their life story. But how to cover such a private moment in a public place seems like it should be addressed, especially since the audience is a participant as a silent viewer. Overall Steel's approach is respectful without being timid. There are a few instances where awkward devices are used, particularly when needlessly manipulative pop ballad cues are introduced and when the film plays a cruel game of "will they or won't they" with the audience in cutting from person to person. Anyway, a few mistakes can be forgiven when dealing with such a difficult subject, and The Bridge's accomplishments are far more profound than its minor faults. ~ Michael Buening, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Dave Williams  Actor 
The Figueroa Family  Actor 
Susan Ginwalla  Actor 
Eric Geleynse  Actor 
Keith Glenn  Actor 
Christina Koelling  Actor 
Chris Brown  Actor 
Gordon Smith  Actor 
Steve Meronek  Actor 
Lyle Smith  Actor 
Alex Heffes  Composer (Music Score) 
Alison Palmer Bourke  Executive Producer 
Evan Shapiro  Executive Producer 
Eric Steel  Director 
Eric Steel  Producer 
Kevin Hines  Actor 
Patrick Hines  Actor 
Rachel Marker  Actor 
Tara Harrell  Actor 
Carolyn Presley  Actor 
Wally Manikow  Actor 
Mary Manikow  Actor 
Matt Rossi  Actor 
Jenn Rossi  Actor 
Rich Waters  Actor 
Ginny Matthews  Actor 
Shelley Albar  Actor 

Country: USA