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Bridge, The
IFC Films

7.2 based on 18 reviews Read critic reviews How did we calculate this? based on 17 votes Read user comments Rate this movie

• Internet Movie Database
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MPAA RATING: R for disturbing content involving suicide, and for some language

More people choose to end their lives at the Golden Gate Bridge than anywhere else in the world. The Bridge offers glimpses into the darkest, and possibly most impenetrable corners of the human mind. The fates of the 24 people who died at the Golden Gate Bridge in 2004 are linked together by a 4 second fall. (IFC)

GENRE(S):	Documentary  |  Horror  |  Suspense/Thriller
DIRECTED BY:	Eric Steel
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: June 12, 2007  Theatrical: October 27, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	93 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	UK / USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

88

TV Guide Ken Fox

The film avoids theorizing about why the bridge should exert such a hold over the imaginations of suicides all over the world, but Steel's dramatic cinematography, particularly the distorted telephoto shots that make the bridge loom even larger than it already does in life, provide one answer.

80

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Both a beautiful film and a disturbing one, and the connection between those two characteristics makes it the most disquieting of documentaries.

75

Premiere Ethan Alter

This is one movie that's guaranteed to linger in your mind after you leave the theater, whether you want it to or not.

75

New York Post Lou Lumenick

A serious, wrenching and oddly poetic documentary.

75

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

The real item under consideration here is the movie itself, and the bottom line is that it lands in a humane place. True, any viewer will go in with a certain curiosity, ghoulish or otherwise, about what it's like to jump off a bridge, and yet the overall effect of the film is broadening. To see it is to dread the bridge jumps and to come away with a feeling of compassion and empathy.

75

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

While these interviews are affecting, and the movie talks about suicide in a refreshingly straightforward manner, it's the images of these actual deaths that induce horrified gasps.

70

Slate Dana Stevens

You leave The Bridge with a new appreciation for your (relative) mental stability and a vow to make the most of your brief, ephemeral life.

70

The New York Times Stephen Holden

This eerie and indelible documentary about suicide juxtaposes transcendent beauty with personal tragedy.

70

Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir

I still have unanswered moral questions about the film -- unanswered because unanswerable, I suspect -- but it's a beautiful, wrenching, horrifying work of cinema, unlike anything I have ever seen or will see again.

70

Variety Dennis Harvey

Compelling result is handled with enough dignified artistry to quell most fears of exploitation.

67

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

The Bridge packs a visceral emotional wallop. How could it not? But along with plenty of difficult questions, Steel's film leaves a sour, disturbing aftertaste.

67

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The Bridge crosses a disquieting line.

67

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

The results are striking: an emotional and aesthetic whirlpool of horror, fascination, beauty (it's hard not to feel a bit guilty – even morbid - enjoying such beauty), and resignation that would probably drown lesser movies but that gives The Bridge an eerie power.

50

Village Voice Jim Ridley

Ghoulish documentary.

50

LA Weekly James C. Taylor

The result is an attractive, well-intentioned film that is surprisingly dull and uninvolving.

50

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Despite the proficient technique, after a while you may feel you're watching a particularly scenic snuff film.

38

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Eric Steel's documentary has more than a whiff of exploitation about it.

0

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

This is a new form of obscenity that might be called suicide porn. It's not just the voyeuristic surveillance that's obscene, but the use of suicide footage as counterpoint to other stories as they're told. Steel shows no special insight into the subject, though even that couldn't justify such hideousness.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Andy gave it a9:
This is a powerful film. if you want to empathize with people who have severe mental illness and their families and friends then watch it. It's extremely moving. If you can't handle the concept of suicide, are judgmental about those who kill themselves, or are generally reluctant to acknowledge the dark side of the human experience then don't watch it. You won't like it and won't accept its premise.

Ron L. gave it a10:
We need more movies like this one, less Hollywood junk. The sound track was very interesting, clarity and color was very good for a movie shot with digital video camera. The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle newspapers gave it a very good review.

Paul K. gave it a9:
This doc is creepy, but I was completely absorbed right up until the end. Equally fascinating as it is disturbing.

Erik M. gave it an8:
Usually J. Rosenbaum is spot on, but I'm surprised to see him dis this film so vociferously. The Bridge addressees the frustration families and friends face amid a society that continues to ignore mental health. In addition, the film has called attention to a problem San Francisco has ignored for decades and renewed calls for a safety barrier on the bridge.

Geoirgia B. gave it a4:
You can call it many things, but not good. Its powerful, some ways unforgettable and at the end very well done, but all in all its just another cheaply made documentary with nothing much to show. Deliver Us from Evil is still #1 in 2006.

Tim R. gave it a5:
This movie definitly falls short. It comes out sad, disturbing and at some times very moving, but at the end you question its purpose. It manages to register with you but never makes you cry. Films like Deliver Us From Evil and Jesus Camp prove to be far better in this year of documentary films. Although Death of A President will take the Box Office away from The Bridge, both of them prove to be stunning yet repetative and suspenseful yet wrong. If this is the year for controversial documentary films there is only one real winer: Deliver Us From Evil.

Red Face gave it a10:
The Unbelievable Footage of the Golden Gate Bridge combined with the tear-jerking and organized stories of 24 suicide victems make this movie not only powerful, beautiful and unfogettable, but they truely give the documentary Genre the #1 movie of the year. The Bridge is stunning. It creates a new genre of brillance while conveying the deepest and darkest moments in human lives. While chronicling the deaths of 24 people, The Bridge also gives a history of the Golden Gate sparked with constantlly new and incredibly shot imagery. If the incredible shots of the bridge are not enough to move you then the stories of the people will. Some saved, some survived, and some succeeded and the film captures all three in personal and unforgettable fashions: through family interviews and non-bias first hand accounts. Despite everyhthing this movie has to offer, the truly most powerful thing it conveys is the interviews with the suicide surviors themselves. The film avoids theorizing about why the bridge should exert such a hold over the imaginations of suicides all over the world, but Steel's dramatic cinematography, particularly the distorted telephoto shots that make the bridge loom even larger than it already does in life, provide one answer.

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