Well, it seems that Netflix is here to stay, and with many films waiting for the Covid-19 to end, there aren't too many movies out there. Moreover, I also believe that the question whether I should review documentary films in this blog - has also been answered, as the border lines between documentary and non-documentary has been quite blurred in recent years.
So, this brings me to reviewing the personal/family documentary film "Dick Johnson is Dead" which is available on Netflix. The movie was directed and written by Kirsten Johnson, the daughter of Richard (Dick) Johnson.
In general, this movie follows the last three years of Dick, as he struggles with his dementia. Dick was a successful psychiatrist, who lost his wife (which also had Alzheimer's and spent her last years in an institution), and lived on his own in Seattle, working in a psychiatric clinic. Once his condition starts to deteriorate, his daughter and the family decides that he'll move to live her, at her small apartment in New York City (with her small children living with her as well). His daughter, who is a documentary film producer, decides to document her father's last years. But beyond that, they use black humor and imaginative fantasies to invent and play in some imaginary different ways in which he could die (e.g. walking in the street only to get his by a falling air conditioner....) - which makes the movie humoristic and creative.
This is a "natural' gerontological movie: the hero is an old man; the issue is dementia and end of life care; many key social and psychological issues of aging are directly discussed in the movie (e.g. inter-generational relationships; burden of informal care; formal v. informal care; and more).
The movie is enjoyable, and interesting to watch. There are no real original or novel insights, but it can serve as an excellent basis for many gerontological discussions.
What truly saves the movie is the personality of Dick Johnson: a loving, optimistic, full of self humor, and also wise and gentle aging old man, with full awareness of his deteriorating cognitive abilities. The way Dick is handling, coping and living with the changes in his life - as well as his relationships with his daughter and her wish to make a documentary movie about him (and her) - is simply admiring and heart warming.
While far from perfect - this is certainly a good gerontological movie to watch.
USA
2020
Director: Kirsten Johnson
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