Artist in Person

Local filmmaker Jenni Olson's haunting documentary examines two heightened states of emotion, two forms of falling. One, described in a first-person voiceover accompanied by luminous shots of Bay Area locations, is the capacity to notice everything as one falls in love, whether with a person or a place. The poignant, static images of the first section frame alleyways, faded signs, neighborhood stores, brilliant skies, and glassy water. It's a nontraditional view of a lost Bay Area, echoed by a detailed recounting of a lesbian's longings for current, ex-, and potential girlfriends. Another falling is evoked in a history of suicide jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge, illustrated in contemplative, unpopulated images. Numbering over 1,300, the suicides include a friend of the filmmaker. With its filmic, literary, and statistical references, The Joy of Life builds a resonant argument for a suicide barrier on the bridge, and while the film has played a pivotal role in igniting discussion over this issue, to date the outcome remains uncertain.