Posted by Becca4docs on 15 February 2008, 12:13 PM

THIS IS WHAT DAVID MILLER WROTE ABOUT THE BRIDGE ON SHOOTING PEOPLE'S DOCUMENTARY EMAIL ON 14th FEB: Last night More 4 broadcast 'The Bridge' which, if I remember correctly, was boldly trailed as being 'the best documentary about suicide you'll ever see'. Having seen an official trailer for the film some months ago, I didn't feel any great desire to watch the entire film. However seeing that More 4 had acquired it to run as part of its 'true stories' strand, I thought it would be worth checking out. I can only say that I was wholly disappointed by the experience. I finished feeling cheated and bewildered. The film structured itself around six suicides, shot from a distance by camera positions fixed for purpose by the director. The cameras tracked suspect jumpers some of whom seemed to spend considerable time deciding whether or not to leap to their deaths. Certainly the sight of someone jumping from the golden gate bridge is haunting in itself. I don't see how any of the subsequent interviews with bereaved friends and family justified this exercise at all. I certainly don't agree that this was anyway of tackling the vastly complex issues surrounding suicide, social isolation and mental health. I've read the blurb on the More 4 site that calls the film, 'life affirming' and 'poetic', but I fundamentally disagree. It seemed to me crass and irresponsible, only dressed up with a Thomas Newman-esque score and some quite pretty cinematography. I'd be interested to know if anyone agrees/disagree with me and whether perhaps I've missed a trick?! Discuss...

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