Gruesome at times and eye-opening throughout, The Bleeding Edge is part cautionary tale and part a call to action against an industry you may not have given much thought about, but probably know someone who it directly benefits. The unglamorous world of medical implants and devices is big, big business ($400 billion big, to be precise), but the practices behind their approval and the lobby to keep them in place are far from scrupulous – and often at direct odds with the health and safety of their users. The Bleeding Edge is a documentary you may never have known you needed to see, but afterwards will realize how thankful you are that you did.
Through victim accounts and interviews with expert journalists and insiders, filmmaker Kirby Dick exposes how the corporate wing of the medical field has cleverly manipulated its way into a position of overseeing itself by inserting company stooges into the highest branches of the FDA. I lack the savvy to explain accurately just how lax regulations behind the approval of medical implants and devices are, but rest assured, less than principled entities have taken full advantage of every loophole, while continuing to create new ones for themselves. That should terrify you.
It should come as no surprise that an industry worth so much money would be based on a shady campaign of consistent deregulation and misinformation. While CEOs and lobbyists smugly deflect guilt and admit nothing, victims of their corruption suffer with virtually no recourse. Within minutes, Dick will have you shaking your head in disbelief while mentally cataloging your friends and loved ones who may use a medical device. If you’re like me, you’ll probably want to call them to see how they’re doing.
Mind you, this isn’t a fear-mongering film. Its purpose isn’t to drum up paranoia or scare you into falling in line with an agenda, but instead to educate about just how callous this purposefully hushed racket can be, and the lengths it will go to stay that way. Kirby is no propagandist. His agenda – if you could even call it that – is education and exposure. He doesn’t take his subject lightly, or fall into insults or misrepresentations. The Bleeding Edge is based on science, and simply asks that the industry in question be so also.
While not overly graphic, the nature of this kind of film – one based within the medical profession – necessitates a certain amount of gory procedural photos, along with victim recounts of horrific experiences. As someone who tends to be a bit squeamish about that sort of thing, I was thankful I wasn’t subjected to more than necessary. Discomfort, however, is a great motivator. The Bleeding Edge isn’t really a film you’re meant to enjoy, anyway. It’s one you’re supposed to take to heart and think about.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.