By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Kirsten Johnson
Country: united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 89
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11394180/reference
Chris says: “Death is still one of the greatest taboos. On the whole, we don’t talk about it simply because we fear it and for good reason—it will happen to all of us and no one knows what follows. To ponder the oncoming death of a loved one is even more daunting; to capture that person’s decline on film is too much for most to bear. Which is why, a minute into this, the instance an air conditioner unit falls out of a window right onto Dick Johnson’s head on the sidewalk below like a 16-ton weight out of Monty Python is so jolting, no matter what the film’s title promises.
“If you know exactly what DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD is about before going into it, you might laugh out loud like I did at that moment. Or, it may take seconds until the subsequent reveal that it’s just a prank, that the director, Johnson’s daughter Kirsten, has fashioned the film as a way of coping with the inevitable: Octogenarian Dick, a retired, widowed psychologist, is slowing down and entering the December of his life. Throughout, Kirsten stages one fake death of her father after another, ranging from crude sight gags such as the A/C unit to more high-concept spectacles, sun as entering the gates of heaven, complete with costume changes, dance sequences and camera trickery—they often resemble something David Lynch would’ve made in a particularly jocular mood. Happily, for his daughter and for us, the affable Dick is game for seemingly anything (would your father agree to the process of installing an intricate apparatus that allows a considerable amount of fake blood to seemingly shoot out of his neck?)
“Kirsten’s previous feature CAMERAPERSON recalibrated the longtime cinematographer as an essayist on the order of Agnes Varda or Ross McElwee; here, she delves into even more personal, thornier territory, documenting the final years of her father’s life, facing and dissecting head-on what it means to inch closer to the end of life both for her subject and herself. The fake death sequences provide levity but also open up a dialogue between what we can imagine the act of dying and its aftermath to be like versus what actually happens, i.e. what we can’t possibly fully comprehend. Through this push-and-pull, death is rendered less taboo without becoming trivialized, but its mystery also remains intact and not fully reconcilable.
“At the film’s tricky, decidedly meta-conclusion, Kirsten seems to finally, fully confront and elegize her father’s demise while further blurring the difference between what we perceive and what we’re actually witnessing. Some will find it disturbing or even distasteful; regardless, when the reveal comes, it’s a kicker on par with suddenly seeing an appliance crashing down from the sky right towards your own head. 4 cats”
Michael says: “This unusual documentary is a big hit with many viewers, so i was expecting to really enjoy it. Instead I came away a little perplexed, as to the purpose of the film, and to some of the choices made by the filmmaker. Fortunately, this film was the subject of one of our weekly film discussions, and after talking about it I had a better appreciation for it. Director Kirsten Johnson has worked for years on docs as a cameraperson and cinematographer on such acclaimed films as FAHRENHEIT 9/11, THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED, and THE INVISIBLE WAR, before turning the camera on her own work in CAMERAPERSON. Now directing her second feature documentary, Johnson examines mortality and family with DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD. The subject of this provocatively-titled film is Kirsten’s father, who is starting to struggle with some short-term memory loss and in his late 70’s, nearing the end of his life. Having lost her mother to Alzheimer’s years before, she wonders how she will deal with her father’s death. She pitches the idea of staging various “deaths” of her father on film, including fantastical moments in the after-life.
“Fortunately, Dick himself is a gregarious and entertaining character that lights up the screen. He’s clearly game for this project, if for no other reason that he wants to please his daughter. It’s a fairly tumultuous time in his life as he starts to struggle with his memory, and he uproots his life in Seattle to move into a small apartment in NYC with his daughter. That’s a challenge even when you’re at your best! Add to that a series of film shoots that while perhaps not arduous, do take a lot of energy to be involved with. It’s fascinating to see the behind-the-scenes film work that goes into creating even just the shortest death scene. I enjoyed that Kirsten used her trade to work through these fears of mortality in a way that is unique to her profession. Sadly, and for reasons unknown, there are elements of the film that are left out. Kirsten has a brother, so apparently declined to be in the film. His point-of-view could have been illuminating. There is also the two men who share parentage with Kirsten’s biological children who live in a next-door apartment. They appear in the background once, and their outlook on this project would have been interesting as well. Then there is a moment toward the end of the film that had me scratching my head as to its appropriateness. It’s the part of the film that prompted the most discussion among us as well. I’m still unclear as to whether it should have been included, and overall, I’m still not sure how I feel about the project in total. That said, Kirsten and her Dad make for an interesting pair of subjects. 3 cats”