The Golden Gate Bridge is a symbol of American engineering might. Visible for miles around and as graceful as it is functional, it's small surprise that it's one of the world's leading tourist attractions. Less well known, however, is the fact that it is also one of the world's most popular suicide locations - Over 1,300 people are known to have died there since its 1937 opening.
Spurred on by these stark facts and an article in the New Yorker calling for the erection of a barrier around the bridge's walkway to prevent further deaths, filmmaker Eric Steel spent most of 2004 with cameras trained on the bridge to pick out any potential suicides.
In October 2009, five years after this film was produced, plans to erect a steel-cable net 20 feet below the bridge span, were finally approved. Sadly, celebrations for this major victory have been delayed because the $50m funds required to construct the net are not readily available.
The Controversy
Steel didn't inform these friends and relatives that he had images of the jumps before he'd finished cutting the film – and more local rancour was caused by the fact that he neglected to mention that he intended to record suicides when he obtained permission to film the bridge. Angry critics have branded the film a "snuff movie", "exploitative" and "immoral."
Interviews with family and friends
There's far more to this film than this painful material, however. Steel interviewed the friends and family of the suicides, showing the human tragedies behind the shocking images, piecing together their final moments and exploring the legacy of their decision to die.
Practical Justifications
However, as well as the tricky question of whether the ends in this case justified the means (especially since this profound and thought-provoking film has been highlighted as one of the major motivations for a review of the lack of a barrier on the bridge), there were practical justifications for this decision.
Steel explained that he didn't want the true purpose of the presence of his cameras to be made known in case that spurred more people to go to the bridge to have their last moments immortalised on film. Perhaps most importantly, the film has been endorsed by most of the relatives of those who died at the bridge that year – not to mention the one survivor of the fall Kevin Hines.
Ultimately Life Affirming
This story of survival against all the odds, with an eventually happy outcome of a relatively successful treatment of the bi-polar disorder that took Hines to the edge in the first place. Kevin Hines is living proof that some people do get a second chance – and provides eloquent testimony to Steel's central point that a barrier would make a huge difference to hundreds of lives.
Thanks to his presence – and the skill with which the rest of the material is put together, this becomes more than just a moving and fascinating film. It's a practical and persuasive call for change – not just in the physical erection of a barrier for the bridge, but in the safety nets that our society still needs to provide for the mentally ill. In short, it's inspiring and even, strangely enough, life affirming.
