Synopsis
“Cherry,” a 2021 American Crime Drama was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the Russo Brothers, mostly recognized for their work on the Avengers films. Them moving away from the world of superheroes and Avengers and trying to tackle a raw story first biopic such as Cherry, which is about Nico Walker, an ex U.S. Army medic and a bank robber, shows their ambition. Tom Holland stars in the movie and gives a jaw-dropping performace as Cherry, which is in stark contrast from his role of Spiderman a Marvel superhero.
The film plot revolves around Cherry, a man from Cleveland, Ohio and follows his life from love to war, loss, and severe emotional trauma. The movie is portrayed in six different chapters representing a certain segment of his life with stylish titles and tone changes.
Cherry is first introduced to us as an upset college student with a lack of motivation. Soon enough, he runs into Emily, a student at the same college and two decidid to start dating. The relationship is passionate and extreme, and in short time Cherry is dependent on Emilly. Cherry is later on devastated when Emily tells him about her moving out to Montreal, leads him to enlisting in the Army as a impulsive decision.
This is when things begin to shift hugely for him. As a combat medic in Iraq, Cherry is in the thick of the war, and in addition to shocking and treating troops, he is exposed to the relentless brutality of war. These scenes or visions of war and violence capture the utter disarray and clash as well as the panic and dread of the battlefield. Suffering and death are ever present, and the experience is nothing short of horrifying. It scars him psychologically.
As for Cherry, he has PTSD in the aftermath of the war. He starts to become withdrawn and has crippling social paranoia. He becomes unstable emotionally, and is a shadow of his former outgoing self. Because of constant anxiety and terrifying flashbacks, he is put on opioid pain treatment, which spirals out of control and morphs into a full-blown heroin addiction. His decline triggers a similar trajectory for his then wife, Emily, who attempts to ease his burdens and support him.
The couple’s decline into drug addiction is shocking and tragic, and they descend into desperate poverty and engage in criminal behavior. To fund his heroin addiction, Cherry starts robbing banks. His methods are low-tech and absurd, and he uses crude disguises and leave notes for tellers as a way to communicate. These scenes are often infused with a nightmarish or darkly humorous surrealness, despite the bleakness of the content.The film illustrates Cherry’s final decline in his mind and body and total unraveling. As his mental state and physical health deteriorates, Emily’s health also suffers as her addiction deepens. Cherry, after a series of robberies and grappling with guilt, realizes this way of life can’t continue. In a tragic and poetic end, he gives himself up to the police and gets caught in a final attempt to rob a bank.
A time-lapse of Cherry’s incarceration cycles through the rest of the film as he’s shown recovering and reflecting while in prison. After going through this process, he is released and gets to walk out of prison. He is a man changed, but deeply marked by everything he’s endured. The film ends with a time-lapse of the recession of the prison, reflecting on his time with the prison, providing a sense of hope while pondering the deep wounds of war, addiction, and redemption.
Cast & Crew
Directors:
Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
As some of the most prolific directors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Russo brothers are known for directing some of the highest-grossing films in the MCU, including Avengers: Endgame. Now, they shift toward a more intimate and character-driven drama. Cherry is their first non-Marvel film since achieving blockbuster fame, showcasing their desire to tackle darker and more personal material.
Angela Russo-Otstot and Jessica Goldberg are working on the screenplay based on Nico Walker’s novel.
The screenplay attempts to stay faithful to the semi-autobiographical tone of the work and blends raw realism with moments of surreal stylization.
Production Companies:
AGBO (Russo brothers’ production company)
Hideaway Entertainment
Distributed by Apple TV+.
Main Cast:
Tom Holland as Cherry
Holland delivered a transformative performance portraying a man scarred by trauma and addiction, shedding his youthful Marvel persona. His performance was praised with a compliment of his emotional range and versatility and mastery over the various tones of the film.
Ciara Bravo as Emily
Bravo’s performance was equally compelling as the girlfriend-turned-wife of Cherry. Her character’s addiction is a result of the same forces that led to Cherry’s dependence. Bravo’s performance was a mix of strength and vulnerability.
Jack Reynor as Pills & Coke
A drug dealer who introduces Cherry and Emily to heroin. Reynor’s additions of menace and tension helped with the middle chapters of the film.
In supporting roles, Michael Gandolfini and Forrest Goodluck play Cherry’s fellow addicts and companions on his criminal escapades.
IMDb ratings and critic reviews.
As of 2025, Cherry has a rating of 6.6/10 on IMDb which means that the reviews were mixed to modestly positive. While the majority of reviews praised Tom Holland’s performance, critics seemed to be conflicted about the film’s pacing and narrative structure.
In-depth reviews:
Cast
Tom Holland portrays the character of Cherry which is the film’s emotional and artistic centerpiece. He goes through a physical and psychological transformation that many fans who were accustomed to his previous roles, found jarring. Holland brings to life the character’s charm, vulnerability, and descending spiral rather well.
Visual composition
The stylistic flourishes that the Russo brothers employ such as slow motion, chapter titles, voiceover, and breaking the fourth wall all aim to create a signature voice for the film. While many audience members appreciated the creativity, others found them to be rather self-indulgent.
Venturing deeper:
Veteran trauma, addiction, and self-destruction, love, and mental health all come into the narrative which is arguably the most critical segment: war trauma. The film illustrates not only the opioid epidemic, but also the veteran reintegration as a harrowing and harsh reality instead of mere numbers and statistics.
Tone and Structure:
Each chapter in Cherry stands out with its own distinct aesthetic, and some critics appreciated this as a visualization of Cherry’s shattered psyche. Other critics thought the film felt inconsistent or overlong, and since the runtime is over two hours, it’s easy to see where they are coming from.
Criticism:
Some reviewers called out the lack of depth in the supporting characters, as well as the film’s tendency to oscillate between gritty realism and stylized fantasy without always earning the transition.
Praise:
Even with these criticisms, the film was well-received for its difficult subject matter, and for Holland’s willingness to step out of his typecast role.
Conclusion
A bold and ambitious film, Cherry attempts to tackle the very personal and painful narrative of love, war, trauma, and redemption. Instead of the mainstream high-budget spectacle usually attributed to the Russo brothers and Holland, this film is a raw and unflinching portrayal of a young man torn apart by the circumstances and choices he makes.
Regardless of problems like harsh cuts, stylistic repetition, and fragmentation, Cherry is emotionally compelling and relentless in its depiction of addiction and despair. Every life has the potential to change, and Cherry touches upon the different forms of tragedy life can take.
Health care, war, and even the distribution of empathy in society are all functions of its systemic failings, and the film does not seek to provide answers to these problems. Each person is unique with their own blend of mess and tragedy, and to some extent, redemption. Behind the stats, Tom Holland’s Cherry is powerful in reminding us what so many forget.
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