manifest destiny
The Bridge.
my good friend in san francisco raved about it to me. apparently a lot of people there were talking about it when it came out. it's a documentary addressing the average of one person every two weeks who commits suicide by jumping off the golden gate bridge. director Eric Steel lied to the Golden Gate Bridge committee when he told them that he wanted to film the bridge from the National Recreation Area on the shore below "to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge."
the committee gave him a permit to film there, and he filmed the people on the bridge almost every day with a vigilant eye. he kept his project a secret during the year he filmed it in order to avoid those looking for an audience. at the end of the year, he caught on film 23 of the 24 known suicides in 2006. the most interesting part is watching the jumpers pacing and deliberating while staring at the long way down before they finally hop the railing and take the plunge. Steel and his crew were usually equipped with a telephoto lens, so the shots zoom in close enough to feel involved and voyeuristic. it's quite powerful when compounded by the intermingled interviews with the families and friends of the jumpers; the interviews share stories and background of the deceased, which add a grave dimension of mental illness issues.
i applaud everyone involved in the production of this film for getting their hands dirty with controversy. as someone who has struggled with a lifetime of mental illness, i feel vindicated knowing that this film will, for a lot of people, illuminate the darker, unsung corners of life and death in modern society. the people in this film who designated the bridge to take their lives represent and elucidate all those corners and coves imprisoned with inundating despair-- places that most people can't even think about or possibly imagine. those who jump show those who would never consider jumping that it is stiflingly indescribable to constantly hover in a state between life and death-- mentally, figuratively, and most appropriately, literally.
my good friend in san francisco raved about it to me. apparently a lot of people there were talking about it when it came out. it's a documentary addressing the average of one person every two weeks who commits suicide by jumping off the golden gate bridge. director Eric Steel lied to the Golden Gate Bridge committee when he told them that he wanted to film the bridge from the National Recreation Area on the shore below "to capture the powerful, spectacular intersection of monument and nature that takes place every day at the Golden Gate Bridge."
the committee gave him a permit to film there, and he filmed the people on the bridge almost every day with a vigilant eye. he kept his project a secret during the year he filmed it in order to avoid those looking for an audience. at the end of the year, he caught on film 23 of the 24 known suicides in 2006. the most interesting part is watching the jumpers pacing and deliberating while staring at the long way down before they finally hop the railing and take the plunge. Steel and his crew were usually equipped with a telephoto lens, so the shots zoom in close enough to feel involved and voyeuristic. it's quite powerful when compounded by the intermingled interviews with the families and friends of the jumpers; the interviews share stories and background of the deceased, which add a grave dimension of mental illness issues.
i applaud everyone involved in the production of this film for getting their hands dirty with controversy. as someone who has struggled with a lifetime of mental illness, i feel vindicated knowing that this film will, for a lot of people, illuminate the darker, unsung corners of life and death in modern society. the people in this film who designated the bridge to take their lives represent and elucidate all those corners and coves imprisoned with inundating despair-- places that most people can't even think about or possibly imagine. those who jump show those who would never consider jumping that it is stiflingly indescribable to constantly hover in a state between life and death-- mentally, figuratively, and most appropriately, literally.