A Body to Live In

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A Body to Live In

Feb 2026

1h 37m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

91%

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11 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.

Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

Jul 12

B

Delves into cultural appropriation and performance art, but the material always returns to Loomis and his growth as Musafar, providing some insight into a man taking an unconventional journey to self-inspection and attention.

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Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

May 1

3.5/4

[Angelo] Madsen avoids talking heads in favor of artfully-composed still images and hand-painted 16mm film along with evocative music and audio excerpts from interviews, creating an oral history effect.

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Brandon Judell

Bay Area Reporter

Apr 1

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.

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Denise Zubizarreta

LatinaMedia.Co

Mar 30

B-

For all the film’s fascination with Musafar’s philosophy of bodily transcendence, it confronts the complicated cultural terrain beneath it.

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Robert Stinner

In Review Online

Mar 29

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.

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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.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Feb 27

Real footage in 1 hour and 37 minutes. All ages admitted.

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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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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