The Bridge

I found The Bridge (2006) to be an inspiring documentary. It explores the lives of those who contemplate, attempt or commit suicide by leaping from the Golden Gate Bridge through interviews with family, friends and those who have survived as well as tons of footage of the bridge itself.

Unlike most, I have little fear of death, although being injured, tortured, maimed, suffocated, burned or sick all make me very nervous. When it gets right down to it, I think life is bullshit and I’d rather not deal with it. Fortunately, I don’t suffer from depression, schizophrenia, drug addiction or any other diagnosable illness that would exacerbate my disillusionment with life. I think about death a lot, but not suicide. I’m the type who gets in a plane and wants it to crash. I get concerned with things like what’ll be in my pockets or what music I’ll be found with when I’m dead. I’m impressed if not jealous of those who actually go through with suicide. Good for them! They have more balls than I ever will.

The movie touches on most of the topics that come to mind regarding suicide. I especially appreciated the empathy shown by friends and relatives who get that being loved doesn’t necessarily make life bearable, although at the same time nobody who killed themselves was in a relationship. There were very few who were outright surprised by the suicide or attempt. These were people pained by existence itself. One guy who had been job hunting in San Francisco for awhile killed himself, and left behind a job interview offer on his answering machine. His roommate at the time emphasized that if he had just waited one more day he could have had a job. Fuck that; he never has to work again, which seems way better to me.

One interesting side-effect of killing yourself by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge is that those you leave behind will never view that bridge the same way again. This made me think of my friend Chris who died of a heroin overdose and whom I always think of whenever the topic of drugs comes up (even before I think of Charlie Parker). I guess you could say he ruined the idea of heroin for me; not that I ever romanticized it, but I’ve encountered those who honestly do, so in a way I am thankful to have that perspective.

The movie emphasized the frequency of which people jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and I was starting to picture it like lemmings jumping off a cliff. I was disappointed at the end when they admitted in 2004 (the year on which the film is focused) only 24 people died by that method. C’mon people, jump; there is an over-population problem and life really sucks! Since I’m not going to do it, I want to be able to vicariously die through you. Watching someone fall off that bridge is sublimely beautiful.