The Bridge

This is a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from my main running trail. I snapped it while standing on the exact spot that was used by a filmmaker during the entire calendar year of 2004. During that year, a guy with a powerful telephoto lens attached to his tripod-mounted camera had it pointed at the bridge every time I ran by. A couple of times I stopped to stretch and chat with him. He told me he was on a project to "capture the majesty of the bridge throughout the seasons." How nice, I thought. San Francisco is full of lovably eccentric artist types.

In January 2005, he was no longer there. Now the full story is out: It seems this guy is a filmmaker named Eric Steel, and what he was really doing was filming suicide jumpers. About every two weeks, on average, somebody ends their life by leaping off the Golden Gate Bridge. This does not get much publicity because no one wants to glamorize it or inspire copycat suicides.

To this day, in my mind's eye, when I run by his filming spot, I see him there, intently looking through his lens, rain, fog, or shine. I regret never getting a photo of him at work on this then-secret project.

Steel admits he lied to people like me, and to Golden Gate National Recreation Area officials, in order to secure his permit and proceed with his project. In his defense, he had to lie to do this, or it might have attracted many more than the 23 suicides he caught on film. Moreover, he would have been denied his permit. But it's a done deal now, and after editing down 10,000 hours of footage to 93 minutes, his movie is ready. It's not a snuff film. "It's a film about the human spirit in crisis," he says, "intended to provoke discussion about suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge and mental illness in general."

"The Bridge" just opened at the Tribeca Film Festival. It's playing in limited release here in San Francisco. I don't think I will see it -- just seeing the trailer is enough for me.