The user reviews of this documentary (Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist) all warned me that this one isn’t for the faint of heart and therefore I avoided it for quite awhile. While it is intensely graphic I also found it really inspiring. Bob and Sherrie have been in a D/s relationship for about 15 years all the while Bob has been suffereing through cystic fibrosis. Their relationship is one about pain, domination, gender role reversal even. But it’s deeper than that. These two are really soulmates. They found each other and they were happy. That I could understand quite plainly.
Bob knew that he was living on borrowed time and so he made the absolute most of it. He had a sense of humor about his lot in life and he tried to educate people about his disease and his choice of lifestyle. I find him incredibly admirable, and I want to read his book now.
All that being said, it’s not for the squeamish. He does nail his dick to a board-but to me that wasn’t as disturbing as actually watching him in the hospital, dying.)
Also, the poem that ends the film entitled Why made me cry. A beautiful, tastefully done documentary.
