My Father and The Man In Black

The Man in Black was, of course, Johnny Cash. Saul Holiff was his long-time manager, a dedicated, remote, often cruel man who committed suicide and left his son with a lot of unanswered questions.

Jonathan's documentary is an investigation of his father’s life and that of the celebrity who dominated it. The Canadian-born Saul was a self-made man, an ambitious promoter with a love of music that brought him together with one of the great figures of 20th-century pop culture.

Both Cash and his manager were strong men with serious weaknesses; we learn of their triumphs and failures, their mutual resentment and envy, their troubled relationships with their families. The film is respectful but never hagiographic—it shows the good and the bad, the public and the painfully private.

Mixing found footage, creative re-enactments and poignant narration, the documentary tells a riveting story with creative means. It’s an act of catharsis for its maker, and a fine piece of journalism. [VIFF]