Dick Johnson Is Dead

Parents need to know that Dick Johnson is Dead is filmmaker Kirsten Johnson's attempt to cope with the inevitable loss of her beloved 86-year-old father, Dick, a sunny and supportive presence in her life. With his cooperation, she stages a variety of death scenes with stunt men standing in for Dick, who cheerfully participates. She shows the behind-the-scenes tricks that result in real-looking scenes, but the finished sequences do look real. In one, Dick spurts fake blood from a neck wound. In another, an air conditioner falls on him. In another, he has a heart attack. She holds a full funeral for him before he dies, so he can participate. The discussions of his weakening health and declining memory are frank and compassionate, but it's his optimistic and loving outlook and his daughter's determination to create a funny and lasting document of his last years that make this something unusual and universal. This is an odd and quirky introduction into discussions about death. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.