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Deep Dive: Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)

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Dick Johnson Is Dead
Dick Johnson Is Dead is a 2020 documentary directed by Kirsten Johnson, focusing on her father, Richard 'Dick' Johnson, who suffers from dementia. The film presents various imaginative scenarios of his potential deaths, including violent accidents like falling down stairs or being struck in the neck. These scenarios are enacted with dark humor, as Dick participates in his daughter's creative fantasies about mortality. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Special Jury Award for Innovation in Non-fiction Storytelling. It was released on Netflix on October 2, 2020. The documentary incorporates family photographs and home movies, including memories of Dick's late wife, who passed away from Alzheimer's disease in 2007.

Why Watch

  • •See Dick Johnson act out his own funeral.
  • •Meet Kirsten Johnson's imaginative take on death.
  • •Find out how humor confronts mortality.

Did You Know

•The film won the Special Jury Award at Sundance on January 25, 2020.
•It holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 90 reviews.
•Kirsten Johnson pitched the film idea to her father, leading to his laughter.
•The film was released on Netflix on October 2, 2020.

Perfect For

Documentary enthusiastsFans of dark humorCaregivers and families