'June' Review: The Eternal Charm of June Carter Cash

Kristen Vario's new documentary details the life and career of the singer-songwriter who was part of country music royalty.

June Carter Cash, the subject of the documentary “June.”Credit...Don Hunstein/Sony Music Entertainment/Paramount+

Singer June Carter Cash was born in 1929 into the Carter Family, an influential early country music group that toured with Elvis Presley in the 1950s. She married Johnny Cash in 1968 and became a member of his touring shows. She also co-wrote one of Cash's biggest hits, "Ring of Fire," with Merle Kilgore. Despite her contributions to music, her 1999 solo project Press On received little interest from major labels, although the album still won a Grammy Award. Archival footage from its production is the starting point for director Kristen Vario's new documentary June. The album's titular phrase, "Press On," aptly sums up June's philosophy on life. Her love story with Cash and her perseverance in battling his addiction is one of the most famous in 20th-century celebrity history.

"I thank God there are people like her who still thought there was some good in me," Cash said in an archival interview. And John Carter Cash, June and Johnny's only child, spoke of the love his parents shared: "We only have to listen to their music to get a glimpse of their strength and beauty."

Critic Robert Christgau once described Carter Cash, who died in 2003, as "an unusual and interesting saint. Passionate, active, creative, and proactive." Contemporary interviews with celebrities such as Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Carter Cash's stepdaughter Roseanne Cash, and Carter Cash's daughter Carlene Carter focus on her musical talents and talents as a mother. I am. The raw facts of the Carter Cash story are such that the filmmakers really had to mess around to make a movie that would entertain viewers and bring tears to their eyes. Please rest assured that June will do her job properly.

June 

Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes. Watch on Paramount+.

Director Kristen Vario Cast Robert Duvall, Jane Seymour, Cash Carter Rating Unrated Genre Documentary Movie data provided by: IMDb.com