CHERRY 15
FILM ★★★★☆
OUT 12 MARCH APPLE TV+
The final Community paintball episode took a dark turn.
mood swing
TOM HOLLAND PULLS OFF A GEAR SHIFT…
Crime thriller Cherry comes with big mainstream expectations, what with it being directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and starring friendly neighbourhood heartthrob Tom Holland. However, those expectations are quickly subverted, and for the better. Clearly revelling in their freedom from the gentrified demands of blockbuster cinema, the Russos have crafted a patiently paced, expletivefilled, artfully gritty and frequently shocking drama. Its central character is promising high-school student Cherry (Holland), who signs up for the US Army after he is temporarily dumped by his sweetheart Emily (Ciara Bravo). Returning from a harrowing stint in Afghanistan and suffering from PTSD, he falls victim to a spiralling drug addiction (needle-phobes beware), and the subsequent debt sees him robbing banks to survive.