U.S., 2020, 90 min, Dir. Matt Riddlehoover, Not rated but suitable for children, The Film Collaborative


My Darling Vivian

Now Available

"An unmistakably loving and sensitive portrait…of a woman whose great love was in many ways her great undoing." – Steve Pond, The Wrap

"An exceptional documentary… a fascinating and affecting corrective counterpoint to the Johnny Cash mythos." – Joe Leydon, Variety

In 1951, Catholic schoolgirl Vivian Liberto meets handsome Air Force cadet Johnny Cash at her local San Antonio, Texas skating rink. Their whirlwind summer romance lays the foundation for a feverish three-year-long correspondence while Johnny is stationed in Germany. Thousands of letters later, the two marry upon his return in 1954. Within a year, a career blossoms and a family is started. By 1961, Johnny Cash is a household name, number one on the music charts, and perpetually on tour. Meanwhile, only two weeks postpartum, Vivian settles into their custom-built home in Casitas Springs, California with their four young daughters. Plagued by bobcats, rattlesnakes, all-hours visits from fans, and a growing resentment toward her husband’s absence, Vivian is pushed to a near breaking point when she and her daughters are targeted by hate groups over her perceived race. In My Darling Vivian, we will meet the first Mrs. Cash as her daughters, Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara, share with us first hand, for the first time, the entire story of love, isolation, fear, heartbreak, and survival.


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