It's hard to believe Hollywood's feel good movies most of the time, since real life isn't always about happy endings. I have a hard time buying it. For this reason the majority of media I watch and read is non-fiction, documenting real life with all its highs and lows. Thankfully, documentary is flourishing and Toronto is a major hub.

The Hot Docs festival has grown amazingly and has become one of the top doc forums in the world. It's not limited to 10 days in April however. Doc Soup, their monthly film series, takes place tomorrow at the Bloor Cinema.

I was at the same Cinema a couple weeks ago for the One Minute Film and Video Festival and picked up some flyers in the lobby, one was for the Doc Soup screening of The Bridge - an assembly of stories of people at San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge - those who witness the unthinkable, but also the stories of those who decide to take fate into their own hands. Director Eric Steel filmed over 20 of those stories over the course of one year - and was able to stop many too.

The friend I was with that night had heard of The Bridge and told me we should go see it. Apparently, in all its heart-wrenching reality it's a beautiful and touching documentary. Sadly, the stories will be so much more poignant now because of recent events in this city. I'm not sure I'll be able to leave stories like these behind me - I suppose that's the beauty of dramas - but I'm still intrigued why? Suppose it's honesty I seek. Knowing life isn't about happy endings, but more about the choices we make along the way.

(Image: bwslau)