Review #555: 'Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist' (1997)

Rarely is there a movie that can in equal measures make you want to cry and embrace the power of love, while at the same time reach for the sick bag. Yet Sick, Kirby Dick's powerful documentary of sadomasochistic performance artist and poet Bob Flanagan, achieves this to a quite startling effect, taking us through his art career, his often bizarre sexual practices, his relationship with partner/dominator Sheree Rose, and his battle with cystic fibrosis. Dick juxtaposes Flanagan's lust for pain and humiliation alongside his crippling disease, which often left him hospitalised for days on end, and what eventually killed him.

Personally, I'm all for people doing whatever makes them tick (as long as it's legal), and if someone gets turned on by someone inserting a large silver ball up their arse, then crack on. But for us with 'normal' sexual preferences, sadomasochism can seem a strange act, especially for someone suffering from an incurable disease. What is remarkable about Sick is the sensitivity in which Dick handles the subject, never patronising and mis-portraying Flanagan, yet showing his acts for what they are - squirm-inducing, but undeniably fascinating - and above all else, it is clearly a tower of strength for Flanagan, a way to control his body while his disease slowly destroys it.

Admittedly, his somewhat simplistic art left a lot to be desired, but it is in his writing where he comes alive. Seen in archive clips playing guitar and singing, Flanagan is so endearing due to his sense of humour. He knows the world saw him as a freak, but he embraced it, turned it into art, and is still one of the longest-living sufferers of CF. But beneath all the chains, scars and piercings lay a warm human being, and as his disease overwhelms him, we have to witness his slow death in front of his partner Sheree. The 'Hammer of Love' scene, in which Flanagan hammers a nail into the end of his penis, will have you covering your eyes in horror, but it is Bob's final moments that will linger in the memory as he stares up at his love, taking his harsh, final breaths. Simply amazing, heart-breaking documentary film-making.


Directed by: Kirby Dick
Starring: Bob Flanagan, Sheree Rose
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie