Tom Holland's 'Cherry' is Something Special

With impressive performances from its leading actors and harrowing insight into the harsh realities of the opioid epidemic, Cherry is one of the must-watch films of 2021.

I have been tracking Cherry's development ever since the Russo Brothers first announced the project. I gasped at pictures of Tom Holland's freshly shaved head and laughed at behind-the-scenes tales told by extras on set in Cleveland, Ohio during the film's shooting in the fall of 2019. I savored each page of Nico Walker's Cherry, the novel on which the film is based. For over a year, I have eagerly awaited the day I would finally get to watch this movie. That day was today-- Feb. 18, 2021 (this article has been published after the film was released to the general public). I was fortunate enough to attend an advanced screening of Cherry courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. I am ecstatic to say that the film exceeded my already high expectations.

Cherry tells the story of a young man who falls in love, fights in the Iraq War, and returns home with undiagnosed PTSD. He turns to drugs to help him cope with his mental illness and later turns to robbing banks to fund his addiction. The film is very accurate to the book's plot and overall tone. Although both versions of the story are incredibly dark, I was relieved to see that the film embraced the book's black humor. It deals with subject matters that can easily create a fully depressing mood; the humor keeps the audience engaged and allows the darker moments to have a stronger effect.

Many critics have praised the film's cinematography. Cherry explicitly divides itself into separate, named parts against red-tinted backgrounds. Each part represents a stage of the unnamed protagonist's life: student, lover, soldier, junkie, and thief. I loved how when the protagonist uses different drugs, the audience experiences his high through various visual effects such as blurring and color play. The basic army training portion of the film was deliberately shot in such a way that it doesn't fill up the entire screen. This kind of drastic cinematographic difference stands alone in the film, and I'd argue that it is the only choice I found unnecessary (besides one out-of-pocket shot during a medical exam that is meant to be from the inside of the protagonist's rectum... what was the reason for that?).

I really enjoyed the film's deceptively light score. Emily's appearances are usually underscored by angelic strings. Opera music can be heard throughout the film, most noticeably toward the end. It surprised me that there are only a few instances of more intense or suspenseful music. The majority of the film is accompanied by light, beautiful orchestration that provides a lovely contrast to the horrors of war and substance abuse.

Cherry promised not to romanticize drug addiction. It goes a step further and shows the full rawness of substance abusers' experiences. Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo brilliantly express the emotional desperation, frustration, and helplessness that accompany addiction. The physical side effects shown in the film go far beyond the stereotypical depictions in the media. Shaking and sweating are coupled with vomiting blood. The characters sport facial sores caused by their anxiety-induced need to scratch their skin. In one scene, Emily soils her pants at work after the protagonist fails to deliver heroin to her. Substance abuse is ugly and painful, and Cherry doesn't shy away from the truth.

After being so invested in this film, I am relieved to report that it was even better than I had imagined it would be. I'd like to thank The Hollywood Reporter for the opportunity of seeing the film in advance and for access to an exclusive Q&A with the cast and the directors.

Catch Cherry in theaters on Feb. 26 or on Apple TV on March 12. You won't want to miss it.