The world of Cherry is a neon-tinged, candy-coated version of Los Angeles. The titular Cherry (Alexandria Trewhitt) may live in the 21st century, but there’s something old-school about her. Maybe it’s the glittery eyeshadow, her love of roller skating, or the gorgeous old Volkswagon Bug she drives that creates this nostalgic world. The colors and the locations around Los Angeles create a feeling of simplicity. It’s an illusion that quickly shatters for Cherry.
One day at work, Cherry takes a pregnancy test that comes back positive. Her boss (Joe Sachem) assumes that her habitual lateness and distracted mental state are indications that she’s not as dedicated as he’d like an employee to be. He fires Cherry, and she decides to see a doctor that day to confirm her pregnancy. The doctor (Sandy Duarte) tells Cherry she’s almost eleven weeks pregnant, and that abortion by pill is legal in California through eleven weeks. Cherry has twenty-four hours to decide whether or not she will keep her child.
There’s a distinct loneliness that comes with living in Los Angeles in your late twenties. So much time is spent trying desperately to stay afloat financially, socially, and mentally in a harsh, unforgiving city. It’s easy to get stuck between wanting someone to take care of your life and wanting to be an adult. Of course there’s no one moment that magically turns someone into an adult, but Cherry is desperately hoping that will happen. She’s lost and listless, between jobs. This unexpected pregnancy is a shock to her system and the deadline for a decision is a ticking time bomb. When Cherry’s in the doctor’s office, she quietly asks the doctor if this pregnancy will make her become an adult. It’s a desperate plea for some sense of structure in her life.
When Cherry roller skates through the streets of LA or at the roller rink, there’s a freedom and confidence in her movement that doesn’t transfer to other aspects of her life. The feeling she has when she’s in control of her body is a high that Cherry is chasing in every other aspect of her life. The film contrasts these moments of confidence with her day-to-day existence that is mainly flailing around, hopelessly trying to grow up.
A few noticeable moments of ADR mismatches and jarring microphone peaks aside, Cherry is a strong debut feature from director and co-writer Sophie Galibert. Trewhitt’s grounding performance as the titular Cherry elevates the film beyond the technical mishaps. She’s more than capable of handling the character’s emotional journey with a deft, genuine hand. So much of the film’s success rides on Trewhitt’s ability to carry the audience through these life-altering 24 hours of Cherry’s life. It’s a burden she manages with ease.
As Cherry is deciding what to do with her child, she questions her parents about her own childhood. Did they want a boy or a girl? How did they decide to have kids? What was she like as a baby? It’s an attempt to discover whether she’s ready for motherhood and to critically examine what being a parent means. It’s more than just giving birth and combining chromosomes, it’s a lifelong commitment to caring for someone else. This is not an experience that will necessarily change Cherry for the better and has every possibility of affecting her for the worse.
Unlike Plan B and Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Cherry is less about the process of getting an abortion and more about the personal struggle to decide what parenthood means and what it takes to be a good parent. Cherry is about new beginnings, life’s unexpected twists and turns, and how hope can be found in the strangest places.
