Thursday, June 12, 2008

Whole

WHOLE takes you into the world of people obessed with becoming an amputee. Some are "wannabes" while others succeed in ridding themselves of a limb.

They are (presumably) healthy people like Kees, a Dutchman who pretends to be an amputee up to five times a day; Dan, an American who loves to hike and bike in the French Alps; and George, a man so desperate he shot off his leg with a shotgun. This documentary reveals the impact the obsession has on loved ones, and also examines how medical professionals are dealing with the growing worldwide network of amputee wannabes. WHOLE also looks into the ethical, cultural and historical issues that surround this unusual psychiatric disorder.

From Netflix Blurb: Many of us dream of being more than we are -- but the subjects of this offbeat documentary actually want less. Following a mixed group of people who yearn to be amputees, filmmaker Melody Gilbert takes a hard look at a hard-to-believe subculture in which some folks live as "pretenders" and others have shed limbs on purpose. But the psychological disorder that drives their lives may end up destroying their relationships.

This is a disturbing, but important documentary.

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