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The Bridge doc
	Topic by: underdog Posted: June 27, 2007 - 1:39 PM PDT Last Reply: January 11, 2008 - 4:03 PM PST

author	topic: The Bridge doc
underdog	post #1  on June 27, 2007 - 1:39 PM PDT   Has anyone watched THE BRIDGE? I don't know if it has appeal to people outside the bay area though it probably doesn't matter much. The question is, what did you think of it? Did you find it tasteful or in poor taste? There's some here who feel it may have crossed over line of documentary ethics, but others who think it's really interesting, fascinatin - if depressing! Definitely will make you look at the GG Bridge differently next time you cross it.
shiftless	post #2  on August 30, 2007 - 6:59 PM PDT   have heard a bunch about it, it's on my queue so I'll get back to you in a couple weeks... of course I am an SF resident as well...
shiftless	post #3  on November 23, 2007 - 11:19 AM PST   Well, I just watched The Bridge and I can't say it was a great piece of film making. The shots of the bridge were at time gorgeous, but in the end the film had no real point other than presenting a handful of stories about a few people who jumped. It could have been so much more if they had bothered to present some historical data on suicides there, or what local services are like for those with mental illness in the Bay Area. So it kinda fell flat in that area. What was most compelling for me was seeing how each survivor tried to justify their own behavior towards the friend/relative who jumped. It really exposed all the pain, devastation, and endless questioning left behind by those who choose to kill themselves. As far as crossing the ethical line, I definitely think a line was crossed. The mini-feature in the extras menu about the making of the documentary didn't convince me at all that they did everything in their power to stop potential jumpers. At the same time many of those filmed jumping weren't being obvious that they would jump and then did it very quickly so nothing they could have done would have helped anyway. I guess I feel I could make a better judgment if they had said how many hours of film were shot before they started editing and had detailed their shooting schedule a little more clearly. I think it's telling that those details were left out. I don't think I'll ever forget seeing those people jump in their last moments, but this film could have been a lot more than it was.
ScottWeinberg	post #4  on January 11, 2008 - 4:03 PM PST   I found it boring, lurid and tacky. And I'm usually a sucker for a good documentary.