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Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder where the sufferer’s lungs produce an excessive amount of mucus. Nowadays CF sufferers only live till their mid-30s. When Bob Flanagan was born in 1952, people with CF rarely lived into their 20s. Bob lived to be 43. This arresting documentary about his life and art seems to claim that extreme masochism helped keep him alive.

Director Kirby Dick followed Flanagan for several years chronicling his stand-up comedy, performance art, installation exhibits and personal life. At an early age, Flanagan began experimenting with masochism, evolving into more and more extreme behavior as he got older. When he met Sheree Rose, he found his soul mate. She became his lover and dominatrix. Dick remarkably makes the couple likable and understandable in the face of some bleeding-edge fetishes.

Flanagan’s art is shocking. Early on he shows us his version of the Invisible Man figure where the organs can be seen through clear plastic skin. His rendition coughs up mucus, poops and squirts out a little ejaculate. If this seems too much for you than you might want to skip this one. Flanagan’s work whether it be his performances or art is in-your-fact and full of body modification. He has a penchant for tying, constricting, taping, pulling, weighing down and hammering his genitalia. And Dick does blink for a second.

He is certainly an exhibitionist and a provocateur. With Sheree he has found the perfect accomplice. They love to flaunt their lifestyle as a counter to strict religious morality and sheepishness toward the sick. While you might not like any of his artwork, it’s hard to deny that there is something inspired about how he uses his masochism as a metaphor for his life and disease. And his comedy is often witty and profound. His father explains it best. He’s like watching a high wire act, you worry that he’s going to hurt himself, but when he lands on his feet, you’re exhilarated. His masochism is simply him giving fate the middle finger.

The film also captures his personal life without looking away at the awkward parts. He’s not up for masochism all the time. And when he gets sicker and sicker, his enjoyment for pain, he willingly takes, lessens. This puts a strain on his relationship with Sheree. There are several emotionally powerful moments when the couple confronts the difficulties of balancing their desires and the reality of Bob’s condition.

You might not be inspired to nail the head of your penis to a piece of wood or stick a large metal ball up the anus of your husband, but you kind of understand why Bob and Sheree do. For the audience, one needs to be open-minded or have a twisted curiosity to appreciate his art, but if you look at it from his point of view, which the film captures so captivatingly, one sees how through his art he found a reason to live and a way to powerfully express himself.

Not all of his work is meant to test the viewers’ impulse to hide their eyes. He performs silly camp tunes for a group of kids with CF, and at the end, he reads a lengthy poem that describes why he’s a masochist perfectly. As it goes on one sees the paradox of all our lives. Why we are who we are is a long list of simple reasons that make up the complex tapestry that is us. This is one of the most original, profound and amazing documentaries I’ve ever seen.

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