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A Body to Live In

Play trailer Poster for A Body to Live In Feb 2026 1h 37m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 9 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
The queer art of Body modification took center stage in 1989 when Fakir Musafar's "Modern Primitives" movement hit alternative cultures around the globe via the punk subcultural magazine Re/Search. A photographer, performance artist, and ritualist, Musafar's work mobilized an entire generation of artists, thinkers, and seekers. A Body To Live In introduces this riveting "Gender Flex" icon to uncover the rich history of western body modification and its controversial intersections with sexuality and spiritual practices.

Critics Reviews

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Brandon Judell Bay Area Reporter 2d
B+
Madsen has composed a sort of clear-eyed love letter to Musafar, to his compatriots, and to people who desire no societal limitations when it comes to the manipulation of their own bodies. Go to Full Review Denise Zubizarreta LatinaMedia.Co 3d
B-
For all the film’s fascination with Musafar’s philosophy of bodily transcendence, it confronts the complicated cultural terrain beneath it. Go to Full Review Robert Stinner In Review Online 5d
A Body to Live In suffers from missing context and formal gaps... [but] Madsen has still crafted an accessible and engaging portrait of an artist and community leader. Go to Full Review John Paul King Washington Blade Mar 10
A Body to Live In is unquestionably a film about transformation, not just of physical manifestation but of consciousness itself. Go to Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Mar 2
Mildly engaging and stylishly edited albeit hagiographic, repetitive and dry. Go to Full Review Benjamin Franz Film Threat Mar 2
8/10
While a heady experience, this should only be viewed by those of an iron constitution and an insatiable curiosity of adult age. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Feb 27 Real footage in 1 hour and 37 minutes. All ages admitted. See more Read all reviews
A Body to Live In

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Cast & Crew

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Angelo Madsen Minax

Director

Fakir Musafar

Self

Cléo Dubois

Self

Ron Athey

Self

Annie Sprinkle

Self

Jim Ward

Self
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A Body to Live In

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Movie Info

Synopsis The queer art of Body modification took center stage in 1989 when Fakir Musafar's "Modern Primitives" movement hit alternative cultures around the globe via the punk subcultural magazine Re/Search. A photographer, performance artist, and ritualist, Musafar's work mobilized an entire generation of artists, thinkers, and seekers. A Body To Live In introduces this riveting "Gender Flex" icon to uncover the rich history of western body modification and its controversial intersections with sexuality and spiritual practices.
Director
Angelo Madsen Minax
Producer
Angelo Madsen Minax, Lyle Ravi Kash, Luka Fisher
Screenwriter
Angelo Madsen Minax
Distributor
Altered Innocence
Production Co
Cinereach, Hard Flow
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 27, 2026, Limited
Runtime
1h 37m