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sydneypluther
Reviews
Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist (1997)
"Sick" Review - Bob had something to live for
11098847
"Sick" is a disgusting, graphic, jaw-dropping, rule-defying, heartbreaking film. I would not recommend it to everyone, especially not the queasy or the faint of heart. But it made me think, and that is where its merit lies. We watched this film in my Psychology of Human Sexuality course, and the rawness and realness of Bob and his story were astounding to watch.
In his song at the beginning of the film, Bob sings, "The CF would have killed him if it weren't for S and M." It makes me wonder whether SM practice did lengthen his life. Although it's easy to say that Cystic Fibrosis is a disease which is completely ruled by biology, it is impossible to explain how someone who should have died as a child or teenager could have lived as long as he did. Perhaps the answer is that his SM and subsequent art performance gave him something for which to life, and that affected his life span. They do say emotion affects health. But maybe his SM did not affect his lifespan, but the practice made his life better. You know the saying "It's not the years in your life; it's the life in your years"? Bob found something he was passionate about and he used that to create art. I don't think that Bob would have left behind the same legacy without his BDSM practice. So no, maybe his practice did not actually elongate his life, but it sure as hell gave him something to care about. And that is a reason to watch this film.