Dick Johnson Is Dead: Facing Mortality with Eternal Hope
| 🎬 Title & Year | Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020) |
| 🎥 Director | Kirsten Johnson |
| 👥 Starring | Richard Johnson, Kirsten Johnson |
| 🕒 Genre / Runtime | Documentary, Biography, Drama · 89 mins |
| 🔞 MPA Rating | PG-13 |
| ✝️ Core Faith Themes | Facing Mortality, Resurrection Hope, Divine Restoration, Numbering Our Days |
| 📖 Key Scripture | 2 Corinthians 4:16–17, Psalm 90:12 |
Table of Contents
Welcome to this Dick Johnson Is Dead Christian review, an in-depth reflection on how faith meets human mortality. The documentary Dick Johnson Is Dead was one of the most memorable works I studied during my documentary filmmaking coursework. Watching it prompted me to reflect deeply on how mortality approaches human life and how we ought to prepare for our final transition. While secular cinema frequently portrays death exclusively as a terrifying loss or avoids it altogether, director Kirsten Johnson confronts her father’s advancing dementia with inventive “staged deaths” and joyful cinematic imagination.
Death is traditionally depicted as an unfamiliar terror, naturally evoking profound sorrow and fear. When we encounter stories centered on passing away, they almost universally lean into dark, heavy tones. Yet remarkably, this documentary refuses to frame death merely as an object of dread. By addressing this vulnerable reality with laughter, tears, and sincere candor, it challenges believers to examine how we perceive physical decay and anchor our faith in eternal promises. How should Christians interpret the certainty of physical departure, and how are we preparing for that reality today? Let us examine Dick Johnson Is Dead through the lens of a Christian worldview.
Facing the Fear of Death with Boldness and Resurrection Hope
In secular culture, mortality is treated as an uncomfortable taboo. If someone learned they were to pass away tomorrow, few would welcome the news comfortably. The natural desire to live longer and experience the world makes the end of life inherently intimidating. Society continually strives to mask aging—chasing perpetual youth and vitality. Taking care of our physical bodies is a noble calling, as God created our lives with dignity and purpose. Yet physical preservation has its ultimate boundaries.
This reality connects directly to how believers view mortality. For Christians, physical death is neither the annihilation of existence nor a hopeless end. During my university years, I took an academic course titled Cinema and Thanatology (the study of death and dying). We spent hours debating what death truly means, how to interpret it through Christian theology, and how various filmmakers portray human mortality. Through Christ’s sacrificial cross and resurrection, the power of death was decisively defeated. For the believer, passing from this world is not a final conclusion, but the doorway into our eternal heavenly home.
When our trust rests in eternal life beyond the grave, we can navigate earthly goodbyes without descending into despair. In secular memorial services, the overwhelming finality often leads to inconsolable devastation. In contrast, Christian memorial services carry a distinct atmosphere of quiet peace. Tears and sorrow are naturally present, yet there remains a profound assurance that this earthly farewell is temporary, anchored in the joyful expectation of a future reunion in the presence of God.
A Decaying Body and Complete Restoration in God
Despite modern medical advancements, science has yet to conquer progressive diseases like Alzheimer’s. Dementia remains one of the most heartbreaking afflictions known to humanity. Dr. Dick Johnson spent his entire career as a compassionate psychiatrist healing others, yet illness gradually eroded his memories, forcing him to close his lifelong practice and surrender his car keys. The deterioration of cognitive faculties is a painful human limit that no creative storytelling can completely mask. Revealing such unvarnished truth is the authentic strength of non-fiction cinema (a dynamic we previously explored in our reflection on My Octopus Teacher).
Amid these painful realities, the film’s vibrant heaven sequence provides remarkable comfort. Seeing Dick Johnson enter the celestial set in stylized slow motion brings an affectionate smile while stirring deep reflection. In a particularly moving scene, an actor portraying Jesus gently washes Dick’s feet, miraculously restoring his congenital deformed toes—a lifelong physical insecurity. This moment strongly evokes Christ washing the feet of His disciples, demonstrating tender love and total physical renewal.
Our physical bodies inevitably age, succumb to weakness, and fade over time. Yet Scripture promises that God will fully restore us with new, glorified bodies free from pain, tears, and disease. Though our outward frame declines, God’s steadfast love and sovereign care for our souls remain eternally unshaken.
The Wisdom of Numbering Our Days and Loving in the Present
While the heaven sequence is visually striking, the scene that moved me to tears was the mock funeral held while Dick was still alive. Sitting quietly behind a doorway, the father listened to the heartfelt tears, laughter, and loving tributes of his closest friends before stepping out to share warm embraces. Experiencing such a moment offers an extraordinary opportunity to evaluate what truly matters in this life.
We frequently overlook the value of those beside us until final departures draw near. Life moves forward with startling speed. We live without knowing what tomorrow holds, and none of us can predict the exact timing of our final breath. Recognizing that earthly life has a definite conclusion is precisely what teaches us to live today with intentional gratitude and wisdom.
Even as his memories grew distant, Dick Johnson modeled profound joy by smiling with his grandchildren and savoring a simple slice of chocolate cake. Rather than becoming paralyzed by anxiety over the future, believers are called to invest deeply in our families, friends, and church communities right now. While preventing cognitive decline is ideal, physical vulnerability can touch any household. Embracing each day with thanksgiving transforms how we love those around us.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
As you reflect on your own journey today, what is the most cherished memory you are grateful for?
Key Takeaways & Faith Insights
- Resurrection Hope Over the Fear of Death: For believers, physical departure is not an abyss of despair, but the threshold into our eternal heavenly home, anchored in the victory of Christ’s resurrection.
- Decay and Divine Restoration: Though our outward bodies succumb to aging and cognitive decline, we hold fast to the promise that God will completely renew us with glorified bodies free from pain and tears. (2 Corinthians 4:16–17)
- The Wisdom of Loving in the Present: Acknowledging our earthly limits teaches us the wisdom of numbering our days, calling us to cherish every ordinary moment and love our families with intentional gratitude today.
“I’m going to make you live forever.” — Kirsten Johnson
Explore More Screen Devotions:
- 🎬 Movies: Explore Other Faith-Based Film Reflections
- 🎨 Animation: Spiritual Insights in Animated Films
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
