My Darling Vivian

Last updated
My Darling Vivian
MyDarlingVivian3x4.jpg
My Darling Vivian poster
Directed by Matt Riddlehoover
Produced by
  • Dustin Tittle
  • Matt Riddlehoover
  • Tara Cash Schwoebel
Starring
CinematographyJosh Moody
Edited byMatt Riddlehoover
Music byIan A. Hughes
Production
company
This Heart of Mine
Distributed by The Film Collaborative
Release dates
  • April 27, 2020 (2020-04-27)(SXSW)
  • December 8, 2020 (2020-12-08)(United States)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

My Darling Vivian is a 2020 American documentary film about Vivian Liberto, the first wife of Johnny Cash, directed by Matt Riddlehoover. [1]

Contents

The film premiered at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival, presented by Amazon Prime Video, on April 27, 2020. It received acclaim from critics and audiences, and was chosen by The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times as a "must-see" critics' pick. [2] [3] [4]

Premise

Director Matt Riddlehoover traces the romantic and dizzying journey of Vivian Liberto, Johnny Cash's first wife and the mother of his four daughters.

Appearances

Release

My Darling Vivian was shown at many film festivals, including South by Southwest, Northwestfest, the RiverRun International Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh, and the Bentonville Film Festival. It had a virtual cinema release in US theaters on June 19, 2020, at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto on June 25, 2020, and at the VIFF Centre on June 26, 2020 in Vancouver. [5] [6]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95%, and an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "My Darling Vivian adds an overdue corrective to the public story of Johnny Cash's private life -- and a strong testament to the woman at its center." [7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8]

Joe Leydon of Variety wrote: "An exceptional documentary... A fascinating and affecting corrective counterpoint to the Johnny Cash mythos." [9] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Brings a woman erased into vivid focus... an engaging and revelatory film that's also deeply affecting." [10]

On May 1, 2020, Thirteen Reasons Why author Jay Asher called the film "incredible" and "inspiring in its sadness" on Twitter. [11]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef(s)
Bentonville Film Festival Jury AwardAugust 16, 2020Best Editing, Documentary Matt Riddlehoover Won [12]
In-Edit Chile Audience AwardDecember 7, 2020Best International Documentary Matt Riddlehoover Won [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Walk the Line</i> 2005 film by James Mangold

Walk the Line is a 2005 American biographical drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies by the American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash: Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words (1975) and Cash: The Autobiography (1997). The film follows Cash's early life, his romance with the singer June Carter, his ascent in the country music scene, and his drug addiction. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as Cash, Reese Witherspoon as Carter, Ginnifer Goodwin as Cash's first wife Vivian Liberto, and Robert Patrick as Cash's father.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Riddlehoover</span> American filmmaker (born 1985)

Matt Riddlehoover is an American filmmaker. He is best known for the 2020 documentary My Darling Vivian.

Vivian Distin was an American homemaker and author. She is notable as the first wife of singer Johnny Cash and mother of their four daughters. She inspired his first hit single "I Walk the Line".

<i>Downloaded</i> (film) 2013 film

Downloaded is a documentary film directed by Alex Winter about the downloading generation and the impact of filesharing on the Internet. A teaser of the film premiered at SXSW on March 14, 2012. The feature film made its world premiere at SXSW on March 10, 2013, and was shown at other film festivals around the world. VH1 partnered with AOL to distribute the film widely and was broadcast as a VH1 Rock Docs feature in late 2014.

<i>Hide Away</i> (film) 2011 film directed by Chris Eyre

Hide Away, also known as A Year in Mooring, is a 2011 American psychological drama film directed by Chris Eyre. It stars Josh Lucas as a successful businessman attempting to resurrect his life, with Ayelet Zurer, Jon Tenney, Taylor Nichols, and James Cromwell in supporting roles.

Bay of All Saints is a documentary film by Annie Eastman and produced by Diane Markrow and Davis Coombe about the conditions of families who live in a community of palafitas in Salvador, Bahia. Palafitas are shacks built on stilts in the ocean bay inhabited by generations of poor families. The families of this community confront forced relocation as a government program works to reclaim the bay to restore the ecology of the bay. The story profiles three single mother households and is told from the perspective of Norato, a local refrigerator repairman.

<i>Hello, My Name Is Doris</i> 2015 film by Michael Showalter

Hello, My Name Is Doris is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-worker. It stars Sally Field in the title role, alongside Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Stephen Root, Elizabeth Reaser, Natasha Lyonne and Tyne Daly.

The True North trilogy is a series of horror comedy films written and directed by Kevin Smith. It consists of the films Tusk (2014), Yoga Hosers (2016), and the upcoming Moose Jaws.

<i>Alive and Kicking</i> (2016 film) 2016 American film

Alive and Kicking is a 2016 American documentary film about swing dancing, its origins in Harlem, and its rebirth starting in the 1990s. It is directed/produced by Susan Glatzer. The film premiered at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival and was subsequently acquired by Magnolia Pictures. The executive producers were Jason Blum and Robert Rippberger.

<i>Dealt</i> 2017 American documentary film

Dealt is a 2017 American documentary film directed by Luke Korem, about the life and career of Richard Turner, renowned as one of the world's greatest card magicians, though he is completely blind.

<i>Theyll Love Me When Im Dead</i> 2018 American film

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead is a 2018 American documentary film, directed by Morgan Neville. It documents the ill-fated production of The Other Side of the Wind, directed by Orson Welles. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2018. It was released on November 2, 2018, by Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Korem</span> American filmmaker (born 1982)

Luke Korem is an American filmmaker whose credits include directing and producing the critically acclaimed music documentary Milli Vanilli, the Showtime series Action, and the SXSW award-winning documentary Dealt. He produces under his production company banner, Keep On Running Pictures, based in Austin, Texas.

<i>Everybodys Everything</i> (film) 2019 documentary film

Everybody's Everything is a 2019 documentary film about the life of American rapper Lil Peep. The film was directed by Sebastian Jones and Ramez Silyan, produced by Benjamin Soley and executive produced by Terrence Malick, Liza Womack and Sarah Stennett. It chronicles the life of Lil Peep from his childhood in Long Beach, NY through his meteoric rise in the underground scene and music industry, up to his death on November 15, 2017 at the age of 21. The film takes its title from one of Lil Peep's Instagram posts, which appeared the day before his death. “I just wanna be everybody's everything," he wrote. The documentary is described as a "humanistic portrait that seeks to understand an artist who attempted to be all things to all people."

<i>Red 11</i> 2019 film by Robert Rodriguez

Red 11 is a 2019 American science fiction horror film produced, and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez co-wrote the film with his son Racer Max, after previously collaborating on The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D in 2005. The film is inspired by Robert Rodriguez's experiences described in his 1995 book Rebel Without a Crew. The film stars Roby Attal, Lauren Hatfield, Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Eman Esfandi, Steve Brudniak, Brently Heilbron, Pierce Foster Bailey, Katherine Willis, Ulysses Montoya, and Carlos Gallardo.

<i>Not Going Quietly</i> 2021 American film

Not Going Quietly is a 2021 American documentary film, directed by Nicholas Bruckman and produced by Amanda Roddy, following Ady Barkan, embarking on a national campaign for healthcare reform. Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass and Bradley Whitford serve as executive producers.

<i>Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil</i> 2021 documentary series

Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil is a 2021 documentary series about the life and career of American singer, songwriter, and actor Demi Lovato. Released in four parts on YouTube from March 23 to April 6, 2021, the series covers a range of topics including Lovato's near-fatal overdose in 2018. It serves as a companion piece to Lovato's seventh studio album Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over. The documentary is titled after Lovato's song "Dancing with the Devil", which serves as the album's third single.

<i>Hysterical</i> (2021 film) 2021 American film

"Hysterical" is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and produced by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins. It follows multiple comedians throughout their lives on stage and off. Judy Gold, Carmen Lynch, Kathy Griffin, Nikki Glaser, Jessica Kirson, Marina Franklin, Bonnie McFarlane, Rachel Feinstein, Lisa Lampanelli, Kelly Bachman, Iliza Shlesinger, Fortune Feimster, Sherri Shepherd and Margaret Cho appear in the film.

<i>TransMilitary</i> 2018 film directed by Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson

TransMilitary is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson, about transgender service members fighting to serve openly in the U.S. military. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2018, and was released in the United States on January 8, 2019.

<i>Topside</i> (film) 2020 American film by Celine Held and Logan George

Topside is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Celine Held and Logan George. It stars Zhaila Farmer, Celine Held, Jared Abrahamson, and Fatlip. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020. It was released in the United States on March 25, 2022, by Vertical Entertainment.

<i>Mickey: The Story of a Mouse</i> 2022 American documentary film

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is a documentary film directed by Jeff Malmberg. The documentary had its world premiere at the South by Southwest film festival on March 19, 2022, and had its worldwide release on November 18 of the same year, on Disney+, on the same day as Mickey Mouse's 94th birthday.

References

  1. "My Darling Vivian (2020)". IMDb. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  2. Dingees, Gary. "SXSW doc on Johnny Cash's first wife, plus more music films to watch right now". USA Today. Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  3. THR Staff (6 May 2020). "Critics' Picks: 10 Highlights From SXSW and Tribeca Online". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  4. Murray, Noel (13 July 2020). "Review: Six can't-miss documentaries explore a camp classic, sexual abuse, Roy Cohn and more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  5. Hemmert, Kylie (5 June 2020). "My Darling Vivian Documentary To Have Virtual Cinema Release". ComingSoon.net. Evolve Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  6. "My Darling Vivian - Watch at Home - Official Website". My Darling Vivian. This Heart of Mine, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  7. "My Darling Vivian (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. "My Darling Vivian Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  9. Leydon, Joe (27 April 2020). "'My Darling Vivian' Review: SXSW Doc Available on Amazon". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. Linden, Sheri (28 March 2020). "'My Darling Vivian' Review". Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  11. Asher, Jay. "Jay Asher on Twitter: "Just finished an incredible documentary, #MyDarlingVivian. Briefly on Amazon Prime after SXSW Film Fest was cancelled, it's the story of Vivian Liberto (Johnny Cash's first wife). Inspiring in its sadness, I will now be buying her memoir, I Walked the Line."". Twitter. Twitter, Inc. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  12. "Bentonville Film Festival Unveils Jury Prize Winners: 'Lingua Franca', 'The Donut King', 'Immigrant Voices Of America' Among Honorees". Deadline Hollywood. 16 August 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  13. "De Blind Melon a Jorge Farías: Los documentales y videos ganadores del In-Edit Chile 2020". CNN Chile. Retrieved December 10, 2020.