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We watched this film in our Human Sexuality summer class. Somehow, despite the pre-warnings, this film still caught me off guard, and made me feel well out of my element. There were scenes where I felt as if I would be "sick", and scenes that I myself, could relate to. Despite me not being a BDSM practitioner, I understood his need to control how he experienced pain. It brought insight into how BDSM can be used as an art form such as performance art, and also as a way of therapy. Bob Flannigan referred to himself as a super-masochist, and allowed the viewers to see how the impact of both cystic fibrosis and BDSM affected not only his lifestyle, but also his body. Although there were many scenes I found slightly disturbing, the final scene when he was dying made me emotionally uncomfortable. His blank-distant stare as Sheree sat by his bedside, upset and frustrated, made me feel as though I knew him. The documentary allows you to take a step into his life, and understand why and how he perceived the world, his disease, how he perceives love, and life. He then turned this documented therapy into a beautiful, yet sort of dark, open and honest art. At the end of the film, upon reflection, Bob started dying the moment he was born, and he somehow found a way to make a mark, and his life something memorable for a lot people, including Sarah, another cystic fibrosis patient. To me, he bled to feel alive, and although that may not be the case for everyone, it gave him hope and something to live for, knowing that it was in his control. To sum up my overall feeling about the film, the words beautiful disaster come to mind. Bob was such a kind, submissive man, that knew nothing but pain. In the end, I feel that he finally found the peace and satisfaction he strived his whole life to find. Through this documentary, though not for everyone, his story will live on, in hope to inspire, move and touch others.
We watched this film in our Human Sexuality summer class. Somehow, despite the pre-warnings, this film still caught me off guard, and made me feel well out of my element. There were scenes where I felt as if I would be "sick", and scenes that I myself, could relate to. Despite me not being a BDSM practitioner, I understood his need to control how he experienced pain. It brought insight into how BDSM can be used as an art form such as performance art, and also as a way of therapy. Bob Flannigan referred to himself as a super-masochist, and allowed the viewers to see how the impact of both cystic fibrosis and BDSM affected not only his lifestyle, but also his body. Although there were many scenes I found slightly disturbing, the final scene when he was dying made me emotionally uncomfortable. His blank-distant stare as Sheree sat by his bedside, upset and frustrated, made me feel as though I knew him. The documentary allows you to take a step into his life, and understand why and how he perceived the world, his disease, how he perceives love, and life. He then turned this documented therapy into a beautiful, yet sort of dark, open and honest art. At the end of the film, upon reflection, Bob started dying the moment he was born, and he somehow found a way to make a mark, and his life something memorable for a lot people, including Sarah, another cystic fibrosis patient. To me, he bled to feel alive, and although that may not be the case for everyone, it gave him hope and something to live for, knowing that it was in his control. To sum up my overall feeling about the film, the words beautiful disaster come to mind. Bob was such a kind, submissive man, that knew nothing but pain. In the end, I feel that he finally found the peace and satisfaction he strived his whole life to find. Through this documentary, though not for everyone, his story will live on, in hope to inspire, move and touch others.
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