ON THE BRIDGE

At first glance, this might be an easy film to skip. But by doing so, you'd be missing one of the most profoundly optimistic and engaging films of the year. ON THE BRIDGE is filmmaker Frank Perry's autobiographical account of his life after he is diagnosed with inoperable prostate cancer. Perry takes his camera and the viewer on an odyssey of conflicting diagnoses, CAT scans, x-rays and blood tests, he also turns the table on his doctor, asking a barrage of questions himself in an effort to extract an exact estimate of his life expectancy. Filled with an irrepressible sense of humor and an irreverent yet deeply felt sense of compassion, ON THE BRIDGE is a passionate journal of Perry's ongoing search for the meaning of his own life, past, present and future, no matter how limited it may be. He has a formidable opponent, but to date, he appears to be winning.