The Joy of Life

The Joy of Life (2005) is an experimental landscape documentary by filmmaker Jenni Olson about the history of suicide and the Golden Gate Bridge, and the adventures of a butch lesbian in San Francisco, California. Since its January 2005 premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, this innovative feature film played a pivotal role in renewing debate about the need for a suicide barrier on The Golden Gate Bridge as well as garnering praise and earning awards for its unique filmmaking style. The film combines 16mm landscape cinematography with a lyrical voiceover (performed by LA-based artist/actor Harriet “Harry” Dodge) to share two San Francisco stories: the history of the Golden Gate Bridge as a suicide landmark, and the story of a butch dyke in San Francisco searching for love and self-discovery. The two stories are punctuated by Lawrence Ferlinghetti's reading of his ode to San Francisco, "The Changing Light" and bookended by opening and closing credits music from legendary 1950s icon (and probable Golden Gate suicide) Weldon Kees. The film is dedicated to the memory of Mark Finch who committed suicide by jumping from the Bridge in January 1995.