A Matter of Life and Death: History of Hygiene(2021)

A Matter of Life and Death: History of Hygiene is a documentary that traces how cleanliness practices have shaped human civilization across centuries. While hygiene itself is ancient, each era has defined its own standards—shaped by culture, religion, politics, and economics. The film examines how personal and public sanitation methods reflect deeper social values and power structures. Beyond mere health, hygiene control emerges as a tool of social management, revealing how governments and institutions have used cleanliness mandates to regulate populations. Through historical analysis, the documentary uncovers the complex relationship between bodily practices and broader systems of authority, showing that what we consider "clean" is never neutral but always tied to ideology and control.