SICK: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist

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. 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 video 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.
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