Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (1997)

Featured Audience Ratings

• _kelly .

  
  An extremely interesting artist who provides a deep glimpse into the nature of pain. He demonstrates, mostly with his body, the clear, yet often confounding, large gap between unwanted pain and consensual pain. If you've ever been intrigued, excited, or outright confused by… More
  An extremely interesting artist who provides a deep glimpse into the nature of pain. He demonstrates, mostly with his body, the clear, yet often confounding, large gap between unwanted pain and consensual pain. If you've ever been intrigued, excited, or outright confused by masochism, let Bob give you a colorful education on the matter. Also worth noting is how impeccable director Kirby Dick is when it comes to picking subjects for his documentaries. This was his first international hit, and it is quite clear why it was so hailed, especially in the era before the internet where self-documented extreme masochistic acts were not a google search away or conveniently categorized on BMEzine..

• El Hombre I

  
  Insightful documentary on Bob Flanagan who fought cystic fribrosis by becoming a masochist. Not just any old masochist. No, he became a super masochist; doing to his body what few others had the desire to do, let alone the nerve. Introduced to most from NIN's "Happiness… More
  Insightful documentary on Bob Flanagan who fought cystic fribrosis by becoming a masochist. Not just any old masochist. No, he became a super masochist; doing to his body what few others had the desire to do, let alone the nerve. Introduced to most from NIN's "Happiness In Slavery" video, he's not just a pervert or a weirdo, but a person who has spent everyday facing his mortality and found a way to survive and to outlast an illness that should have killed him in his childhood.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Sick" is a documentary that starts out with Bob Flanagan, performance artist, reading his own obituary. Flanagan suffered from cystic fibrosis since he was a child and was not given long to live. But he beat the odds, by using masochism as a coping… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Sick" is a documentary that starts out with Bob Flanagan, performance artist, reading his own obituary. Flanagan suffered from cystic fibrosis since he was a child and was not given long to live. But he beat the odds, by using masochism as a coping mechanism(coupled with a healthy sense of humor) and eventually became involved in a submissive, loving, and long-term relationship with his partner, Sheree Rose.(As a 17 year-old cystic fibrosis survivor, Sara, who gets to meet Flanagan through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, puts it, masochism is being able to have some control over your body.) [/font] [font=Century Gothic]This is not an easy movie to watch, however, as it is extremely graphic in its depictions of Flanagan's illness and sexuality. At the same time, the documentary uses these images to attack taboos concerning sickness, sadomasochism and death. [/font]

• Wu C

  
  Supermasochist is right. Hard to watch, but worth the ride. You will most definitely squirm in your seat and cover your eyes saying 'Oh, my god'.

• Christopher B

  
  Really sad and disturbing film about Bob Flanagan's attempt to deal with cystic fibrosis. A doc that starts like a freakshow and becomes one of the saddest I've ever seen. Highly recommended if you have a strong stomach.