Dick Johnson Is Dead
netflixWhilst cinema allows explorations of various thematic topics for audiences, it can do the same for filmmakers as an emotional outlet, as is the case in Kirsten Johnson's Dick Johnson Is Dead. The documentary, which is now streaming on Netflix, follows Johnson as she sets out to make a film about her father dying as a means to start the conversation both internally and outwardly regarding his eventual death — which she isn't fully ready to accept. Despite these darker themes, Dick Johnson is Dead is a shockingly entertaining film that sneaks up on the audience with its deeper emotional core and impact.
In a matter eerily similar to Netflix's Original documentary Circus of Books from earlier this year, one of the best tools Dick Johnson is Dead has in its arsenal is the family dynamic. The walls between Kirsten Johnson and her father are naturally thinner than nearly any other documentary filmmaker and subject matter in existence. Not only does the film carry a natural witty and fun banter between daughter and father, but when it comes time for the brutal conversations of emotional honesty and rawness, the conversations automatically find a deeper weight and gravitas. Any walls that need to be broken down themselves carry a deeper weight, as it isn't a subject holding back from embracing fear and discomfort with the world but a father and daughter holding back from those emotions with each other.
Not only does Kirsten Johnson give a meditation on her relationship with her father in the present, but she tackles her exposure to death throughout her entire life. Touching on her unique religious upbringing and her experiences with the deaths of those close to her, it is incredibly easy to fall into Johnson's personal point of view and see the situation through her individual lens. The film doesn't force the audience to be limited by this perspective. Dick Johnson is Dead is a film that is well aware of the fact that audience members will have their own deeper context to death and specifically the death of parents and it is going to be the weight brought by audience members that are going to sting the deepest.
Though the film is undeniably good, there are also some clear areas that hold it back from being in the running for best documentary of the year. The first being the fact that the film is undeniably messy. Cutting from various pieces of footage to personal dialogue to casual banter, Dick Johnson is Dead struggles to find a well-realised pace and direction, often feeling like a rough collection of clips rather than a well-structured film. The personal meditation that Kirsten Johnson carries throughout the feature also can feel a bit drawn out and irrelevant. Whilst undeniably important for Johnson, the film can struggle at proving the relevance of these scenes and connecting them to larger ideas.
These are not enough to ruin the film and the final product still stands out as incredibly watchable and impactful at times, but they also weaken the overall narrative of the film. The final product is powerful yet also far from revolutionary, not fully hitting the emotional gut-punch it clearly could. With that said, it is clear that, even more so than being a film for audiences, this was a film for Kirsten Johnson, and if this film was able to allow her to have a conversation she needed to have, then it is beyond respectable. Even if Dick Johnson is Dead fails to be the most well put together documentary of the year, being available on Netflix it is hard to not recommend the film for those looking for something to watch and are willing to engage in a darker conversation like the death of family.
