The Bridge (2006 Film) - Eugene "Gene" Sprague

Eugene "Gene" Sprague

The last day of Gene Sprague's life is shown throughout the movie; the film ending with his jump into the water. Interviews with Sprague's close friends are interspersed throughout the film with images of his eventual suicide.

Sprague (11 December 1969 - May 11, 2004) was born in San Francisco, the son of an unmarried woman who did not want to be a mother. When she learned she was pregnant, she decided to raise him and became the most important figure in his life. Sprague suffered from depression during adolescence, and openly shared his suicidal thoughts with friends. However, they did not take him seriously because he always spoke of it in jest. According to Sprague's godmother, he even told his mother he wanted to kill himself.

After his mother died of cancer, Sprague became obsessed with suicide. He made contacts through the Internet and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, for a new beginning, but said he planned to jump off a bridge in that city or lie on the railroad tracks to end his life. After these threats, his friends sent him money to take a bus back to California, where he stayed and went on job interviews.

On May 11, 2004, while the film crew was filming, Sprague appeared at the Golden Gate Bridge and walked back and forth over the bridge for ninety-three minutes. Eventually, he climbed the railing, sat for a few seconds, then stood with his back to the water and fell. Unlike many jumpers that flailed their arms and legs sporadically as they fell, Sprague dropped the 4 seconds with no movement. He landed on his back traveling 75 mph.

According to Steel, Sprague, "...walked across the bridge from the south to the north side and then from north to south, which are typically tourists. I did not think the bridge jump, but it must have something about him that caught my attention."