Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist.

                    

Back in 2012, I went to see Sick: The life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (which I have been waiting to see for a while, but was always to scared of looking at the ridiculously high prices of original VHS copies) at the BFI to celebrate their long awaited UK re-release of the film onto DVD. Having only heard of Flanagan in the last two months or so before this re-release, I was extremely intrigued by his practice whilst reading about his works, but was very disappointed to discover that documentation was very scarce on the internet and throughout the University Library (which surprised and bemused me). I then found out about this film which as directed by Kirby Dick and Flanagan's long term partner Sheree Rose, and just had to see it, not only to see the works which were said to be shown in the film, but for the back story that aided Flanagan's journey into the art World. 

The introductory scene more or less sets the audience up for what will be shown in the film. It contains Flanagan being force fed different liquids from several different containers and a solid substance that resembles a certain by product of the body, being slapped in the face by leather gloved hand, as well as a custard pie (a brilliant link to slap stick comedy, I thought) and Bob furiously coughing due to his cystic fibrosis, the main catalyst for Flanagan's work and the main feature running throughout this film. The pace of the film then changes, and shows Flanagan reading out a eulogy type statement about himself, which really takes you a back, and contrasts between the fast paced humorous snippets of the opening montage. This change of pace continues throughout the film, reflecting the changing emotions and physical state of Flanagan throughout the final years of Bob's life, whilst keeping the audience on their toes. 

 Flanagan's history of having cystic fibrosis, and the beginnings of his masochistic discoveries are also expressed in these opening scenes, and sheds more light on the disease as a whole, as well as why Flanagan got into, and is still apart of the S&M scene. We also hear about how Sheree and Bob first met, and the promises they made to one another and occasionally see some of the documentation of the 'play' that the pair would carry out together. This part really opens your mind, and is the introductory step into understanding the couple, their practise and sets up the rest of the film perfectly. 

A wide range of Flanagan's work is expressed in the film, from his poems and songs, to home videos Sheree took, to his well known performances. All the pieces featured in the film worked so perfectly together with the footage that Dick captured, and it was extremely nice to see the 'behind the scenes' action of the two artists (and friends, critics, fans) behind the work. One piece that I found to be the shining light and the most painful scene (mostly for the fella's who were watching with me) to be shown is the work 'Nailed' (1989), where Flanagan literally nails his penis into a wooden board. This redo of his most well known piece was exciting to see, and showed the extremes that your body can go through (without delving into the S&M aspect that Flanagan and Rose explored in their personal lives and artistic endeavours) without serious harm. It also reflects the pain that Flanagan felt on a day to day basis with his cystic fibrosis - which Flanagan expressed could have been the main reason why he was masochistic.  

Throughout the film Flanagan's coughs and the sometimes gruesome retches he uses to get the mucus up from his lungs are present, which makes you face the harsh reality (usually after humorous parts of the film) that he will inevitable die because of cystic fibrosis, which he has had since he was born. One of the subtle little things about the coughing scenes, which I think would only be noticed in the cinema setting was that whenever there was a scene that contained lots of Flanagan coughing, the audience would start coughing along with him. I don't know whether this was something the directors thought about (or saw for themselves) whilst making or editing the film, but it made me chuckle to myself as it seemed to mimic Flanagan's sense of humour.  I would also suggest that this unconscious mimicking shows how attached the audience was to Flanagan during the film, as he is a very bold and brass individual full of life, even though he doesn't have much left (in retrospective), who you just connect with instantly.

Nearing the end of the film, we see Flanagan's continuing deterioration finally catch up with him and are placed in a very sombre mood, as someone that entertained us, and hundreds of other people Worldwide, is actually dying right in front of us. The ending scene is beautifully captured, even though it is upsetting and is a very different and bold movement for film to capture in general. This ending is what Flanagan wanted, and again shows us so much about his personality, his work and his personal ethics and beliefs that although it's very hard to watch, it just is so right for this film. 

So if you're interested in pushing your boundaries, opening your mind and hearing some amazing gags that will stick with you for a long time, and see into the World of a sick masochist then I wholeheartedly recommend this film. It might be totally different from the usual films you endeavor to watch, but this one changes your outlook on life and adds knowledge of a wonderful man who never gave up and challenged the art world for the better. Just be aware that you shouldn't eat before seeing this. Men, you might also need to cross your legs a few times too. 

Until next time, 
Jessiefer.