Bridgend opens on a haunting image of a boy on his knees, hanging from a tree with a noose around his neck. He is in the middle of the woods, away from town and all the commotion of the daily life there. The quietness is soon disturbed by the whimpering cries of a dog in distress, presumably the boy’s dog, from the way it carefully walks towards him and lays down next to his lifeless body.
What is it about the small village of Bridgend County that drove seventy-nine people, most of whom were teenagers, to take their own lives between December 2007 and January 2012? Director Jeppe Rønde, an acclaimed Danish documentary filmmaker, took this real life suicide pact mystery as the basis for his debut fictional film, Bridgend, and the result is an evocative and hauntingly sharp piece of observational filmmaking.
The heroine of the story is Sara, played by acclaimed British actress Hannah Murray (Game of Thrones, Skins) who moves to town with her police officer father Dave (Steven Waddington) to start a new life in Bridgend, Southern Wales. As the new police chief, Dave’s primary role is to investigate the reasons why kids are killing themselves, leaving behind no suicide note, and no reason at all. Meanwhile, Sara quickly becomes involved in the local scene, soon realizing that the only thing to do in the small town is drink and cause mischief. Sara falls for one of the local boys Jamie (Josh O’Connor), looking past his bad boy exterior to the sensitive soul he really is. However, Sara soon discovers that no matter how much love she has to give, nothing can save him from himself and the deadly town that is Bridgend.
Hannah Murray is one of those actresses that pulls you into any narrative, and that is no exception here. Her innocent, breathy manner mixed with her angelic looks makes her the perfect protagonist and we full heartedly root for her well-being. With the story being based on true events, Rønde thought it was best to keep as authentic to the story as possible, and so he cast local kids to play the supporting roles. Their energy and erraticness are some of the film’s greatest surprises.
The story of Bridgend already has built-in momentum around it, and so was important that the cinematography match, or better yet, succeed the story’s expectations. Shot on location, the look is a somber, cinematic rush that draws comparisons to Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines because of its naturalistic and raw look. Add to that an exhilarating and powerful score of electronica with a heavy, dirty bass that is sure to rattle your core, everything works in Bridgend‘s favor, making it one of the most powerful films of the year.
Coming of age in a town with no hope for the future, Bridgend is a sensitive exploration of natural adolescent confusion, romanticism, and sadness. The film is a harrowing portrayal of unexplained teenage suicide that, as the closing title states, continues on to this day.
Bridgend is a Fandor Exclusive Digital SVOD release, available to stream today. Click here for more information.
