““Now that sex is available to us in hard porn movies, death is still the only pleasure in cinema,” wrote a film critic. Amos Vogel in the middle 1980. Sex and death, Vogel believed, were two aspects of life hidden behind closed doors – and cinema was one of the few art forms capable of bringing those human practices into the open.
In addition to 40 years after Vogel’s assertion, death is still stigmatized on screen. Illness is often treated with stress; the kind of films and documentaries dedicated to death, from covering romantic tragedies such as The Fault in Our Stars tense, end-of-life horror docs like Extremisthey are understandably full of gravity – but they are also guilty of heightening the sense of dread. In contrast, a high number of action movies, thrillers, horror movies and soundtracks often place less emphasis on the death of minor characters to move the plot forward. Death in film is often downplayed or downplayed, the sober reality is kept at arm’s length.
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However, a series of recent documentaries are slowly trying to break down the barriers surrounding this unanswerable topic. For Kirsten Johnson’s docu-fantasy film about her father, Dick Johnson is deadthe documentary writer deals with death in a truly unusual way, creating different scenarios of how his father could pass, from the possible to the absurd. This is set up to help prepare the father and daughter for his real death (with the help of fake blood and a double double). To Steven Eastwood The islandthe fear and loathing that often surrounds cinematic death is removed as the final moments of four terminally ill people are lovingly recorded. And then there is Endfluencersshowing the growing number of people sharing their experiences with chronic disease on social media.
André is an excellent host the latest addition to this new category of films. Love Dick Johnson is deadit takes the easy way to our death. .““I hadn’t heard from André in about five years,” said the film’s director Tony Benna, recalling how his old advertising colleague and friend invited him on a Zoom call. .“He said, .‘I have a really exciting project. […] Okay, guess what? I have stage four cancer, and I want to make a comedy documentary about it.’”
Partly an ode to André’s unusual personality, partly an unusual look at the realities of death, Benna’s documentary begins with an unusual premise: its subject was neglected to get his colonoscopy when it should have been, and that’s why .“stupid.” The documentary brings out humor in this situation, but it is also mixed with painful revelations, from the realization that for some people life continues after death, to the irony that it is possible for André and his friends and family to have fun with his diagnosis. There are also basic facts, such as the realization that .“death is incredibly boring”.
Making Benna’s offbeat documentary was a way for one person to reclaim the narrative surrounding his death. Rather than delving into depression as traditional films about death and dying often do, it resists the same dark tone. André wisecracks not only about lung cancer, but also how he wants to die, since .“death screams” and head transplants, cloning and Russian roulette with Californian death pills. .“No problem,” said Benna. .“It’s okay to die the way you want to die. André really allows us to look at our life and death in a way where we don’t have to follow convention or rules.”
