BODY STORY - SHUTDOWN - DEATH - 87 year old Bob Bridges lives a quiet life in a seaside town. His biological purpose - to reproduce and rear children - was fulfilled long ago and he has now reached the day that will come eventually to all of us. The day when his body finally shuts down after a lifetime of renewing itself against everyday wear and tear.
We see what the years have done to Bob’s body. His cells have started to die off and are no longer efficiently replaced. And when cells die, organs degenerate. Bob can no longer move as fast because his lungs, heart and muscles no longer function efficiently. He can no longer see as well as he could as film upon film of protein has covered the lenses in his eyes. He can’t regulate his body temperature because the blood vessels in his skin are furred up like old pipes and can no longer constrict in low temperatures.
Ageing is an inevitable part of being human - and its ultimate end is death. The decline continues to the point where Bob’s body is no longer capable of sustaining life. We witness how his body finally shuts down. Slowly, organ after organ and cell after cell ceases its activity. But part of Bob, his DNA, quite literally lives on in his son and grandson.
