Coming to DVD and VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, November 11: BRIDGEND
John Michael Williams’ exploration of a rash of teen suicides seems to have bypassed film festival screenings and to go directly to to DVD, as well as to VOD exclusively via Netflix.
Beginning in 2007, the titular South Wales town has seen scores of deaths by suicide – mostly by hanging, absent suicide notes, and by young people. From the first reported discovery of the body of eighteen-year-old Dale – who had been missing for several months – in an amusement park, to the subsequent suicide of one of his best friends, David, six weeks later, theories have abounded of a serial killer, suicide pacts, Internet cults, or other nefarious explanations. As more teenagers fell victim, the media circus grew, particularly when young women started to kill themselves. Williams’ film examines this unusual incidence rate from an inside perspective, through interviews with family members and friends of the deceased, witnesses who found bodies, and coroners and other authorities. While some offer explanations – the dead-end nature of Bridgend itself, a former market town with no major industry or opportunities left save its nightlife, or the idea of contagion, with the first suicide serving as a trigger to others predisposed to taking their own lives – the film’s strength lies in the haunting presence of the departed – one young man interviewed here was later to take his own life – and in the emotional resonance their loss has had on those left behind.
what (not) to doc 