SICK: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist
Encyclopedia
SICK: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist is a 1997
documentary film
directed by Kirby Dick
about Bob Flanagan
, a Los Angeles
writer, poet, performance artist, comic, and BDSM
celebrity, who suffered from and later died of cystic fibrosis
. The film premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival
, where it was awarded a Special Jury Prize.
for "Happiness in Slavery
" by Nine Inch Nails
.
In the film, Flanagan explains his use of BDSM for sexual gratification and also as a therapeutic device to regain control over his body from cystic fibrosis. He discusses his conceptual, performance, and video art, which often relates to pain, illness, medicine, and sexuality. Flanagan also serves as a camp counselor for children with cystic fibrosis and meets with a young woman who suffers from cystic fibrosis and who visits him under the auspices of the Make-A-Wish Foundation
.
SICK details Flanagan's lifelong struggle with cystic fibrosis, as well as his eventual death. Flanagan had agreed to participate in the film under the condition that his death be included in the final project.
, where it received a Special Jury Prize. It was also awarded the Grand Prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival
. This was another surprise for Dick, who had planned to skip the awards ceremony.
Film critics responded positively to the film. Kevin Thomas of The Los Angeles Times and Roger Ebert
of The Chicago Sun-Times praised the film for its careful portrayal of Flanagan's struggles and his relationship with Rose. The San Francisco Chronicles Edward Guthmann said the film, "does a remarkable thing in presenting extreme, sometimes revolting material and simultaneously making us like and admire Flanagan. True, he was a madman and exhibitionist; but he was also a gifted writer who was committed to taking risks, confronting death and living life on his own terms."
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Kirby Dick
Kirby Dick
Kirby Dick is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for directing documentary films. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature for directing Twist of Faith...
about Bob Flanagan
Bob Flanagan
Bob Flanagan was an American performance artist, comic, writer, poet, and musician.-Early life:...
, a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
writer, poet, performance artist, comic, and BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
celebrity, who suffered from and later died of cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
. The film premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, where it was awarded a Special Jury Prize.
Synopsis
The film chronicles Flanagan for several years leading up to his death in 1996. It explores various aspects of his life, artwork, and philosophy through interviews and other personal footage depicting Flanagan, his partner Sheree Rose, and the Flanagan family. SICK also features Flanagan's home movies, performance videos, and video diaries, as well as an excerpt of Flanagan's performance in the music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Happiness in Slavery
Happiness in Slavery
"Happiness in Slavery" is a song by the American act Nine Inch Nails. The song takes its title and refrain from Jean Paulhan's preface to Story of O. It is available on the Broken EP and was also released as a 12" promotional single in November 1992. The song peaked at number 13 on the U.S...
" by Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
.
In the film, Flanagan explains his use of BDSM for sexual gratification and also as a therapeutic device to regain control over his body from cystic fibrosis. He discusses his conceptual, performance, and video art, which often relates to pain, illness, medicine, and sexuality. Flanagan also serves as a camp counselor for children with cystic fibrosis and meets with a young woman who suffers from cystic fibrosis and who visits him under the auspices of the Make-A-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
.
SICK details Flanagan's lifelong struggle with cystic fibrosis, as well as his eventual death. Flanagan had agreed to participate in the film under the condition that his death be included in the final project.
Reception
SICK was a surprise hit at the 1997 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, where it received a Special Jury Prize. It was also awarded the Grand Prize at the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
. This was another surprise for Dick, who had planned to skip the awards ceremony.
Film critics responded positively to the film. Kevin Thomas of The Los Angeles Times and Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of The Chicago Sun-Times praised the film for its careful portrayal of Flanagan's struggles and his relationship with Rose. The San Francisco Chronicles Edward Guthmann said the film, "does a remarkable thing in presenting extreme, sometimes revolting material and simultaneously making us like and admire Flanagan. True, he was a madman and exhibitionist; but he was also a gifted writer who was committed to taking risks, confronting death and living life on his own terms."