Cherry - Innocenza perduta

There's a lot of critics out there. And a lot of them seem very keen to slate this as much as possible, beyond what seems objectively reasonable.

What I would say is this - ignore them all (good and bad) and make your own mind up. And remember this is very close to a true story, written by a man who fell down the darkest of holes having been failed by the systems and freedoms he swore to protect.

Cherry is just an ordinary guy. There's nothing remarkable about him. And the disordered start of this film (which I struggled with to be honest) reflects the erratic nature of his drifter existence.

As the film progresses the style falls into order and then back into disorder, reflecting the rollercoaster ride of Cherry's horrific wartime experience and descent into drug addiction as he struggles to erase what he saw. The Russo Brothers together with DOP Newton Thomas Sigel, use a range of clever tricks to put you in Cherry's boots. From colour tones to aspect ratios, it takes you from soft warm love to cold hard conditioning in an instant.

I personally really enjoyed these choices, and look forward to watching it again to see what other details I might have missed on first viewing. I understand some people might feel that there's too much movie going on, but it was more than fine for me (all personal taste I guess!).

The acting from Tom Holland is exemplary and, at times, frightening. I cannot think what it must have been like to have to go to those places to portray the pain and fear he did and he should be applauded for taking such a leap with this role - he will always carry the weight of Spider-Man on his shoulders but he should be at least respected for wanting to branch out into challenging roles such as this. Ciara Bravo was excellent too, although I think I would have liked a bit more character arc from her (not her fault of course). I thought the supporting cast did well too in their roles - none of them particularly likeable (Jeff Wahlberg's Jimenez a rare exception) as they support and enable Cherry's demise.

Overall, this is a movie which really stayed with me, it still does. It's eye-opening, it's desperately sad, and it's incredibly powerful.

Very briefly: Cherry is a brilliant movie and a fitting translation of the story of a real person. The pacing feels chaotic at times, compared to traditional movies, because real stories aren't paced like screenplays. The cinematography is nothing short of stunning, and most of the events are ugly to give a hint of the ugliness that is being translated from real life to a book and to a movie. Tom Holland once again flexes his range as an actor, and the Russo Brothers continue to elevate cinema. Ciara Bravo didn't have too much to do in the movie, but I personally believe she aced her tonally contradicting scenes.

This film took effort to watch, some scenes are tough and upsetting but it just prove how great and phenomenal Tom Holland as an actor in this film, he really did push his limits which makes it an oscar-worthy performance.

The film has great cinematography and unique storyline, but the subjects matter are very dark and gut-wrenching.

7/10 for overall movie, 10/10 for Holland's performance alone.

Tom Hollands gives a fantastic performance in this powerful and insightful movie. The story speaks so well about PTSD, drug abuse and crime and how war veterans are so poorly cared for. Tom Hollands shows what a truly talented actor he is, wonderfully supported by Ciara Bravo. There are some really nice touches with side dialogue to the camera and sign posting.

Spider-Man has grown up and definitely come home. This isn't a movie to watch with the kids and it certainly isn't happy viewing for the most part, but it is nevertheless great viewing and kept me interested throughout. Looking forward to seeing more from the grownup Tom Holland.

I've not seen every Russo Brothers movie and I think that they have already better one. But the cinematography was in some moments just great and with that music (i love how simple it was and how it fitted the scenes) it was enough of experience for me. And Tom Holland? He actually was outstanding (he proved that can do better than "just" Marvel movies). I'm not a movie critic but you need to see this film and then choose if you like it or not. Don't be discouraged bc of the ratings.