Known best for being directors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Joe and Anthony Russo venture in a new path directing their newest film “Cherry.”

The Russo brothers brought along Tom Holland, best known for his role as Spider-man, as the lead. Co-starring with him is Ciara Bravo. Both these actors are able to bring to life Joe and Anthony Russo’s vision to life. 

“Cherry” is about a college dropout who then becomes an army medic in Iraq, leaving his true love, Emily. When returning from Iraq, Cherry suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and falls into drugs and crimes trying to find his place in the world. 

Joe and Anthony Russo knew they wanted to create a film after reading Nico Walker’s book “Cherry.” They felt really connected to the storyline because they knew family members and friends who suffered from addiction, as well as the film being based in Cleveland, Ohio. 

This film is very powerful and it brings up topics that are not talked about as much. In reality, many soldiers who return home do suffer from PTSD. However, many of them do not get the help they need and spiral into the wrong things such as drugs. As with drugs, this film shows how he goes from needing them to relax and then depending on them and always being high. Not only did he suffer from addiction, but after a while, his wife fell into the same path. This film demonstrates how important it is to help out people we know who suffer from addiction because they cannot do it alone. 

With this film, the Russo brothers did not want to sugarcoat the reality of PTSD and addiction. These two topics are not easy to show, but when done correctly, the meaning and light it brings upon the topics show how important it is to get help and that many people go through it. Throughout the film, they wanted there to be a sense of hope even with all the struggles Cherry and Emily encountered along the way. 

Overall, I think this film has an important message and is very powerful. A storyline like this is hard to execute, but the Russo brothers and the entire production along with Tom Holland and Ciara Bravo were able to produce a film that many people will want to watch. I definitely recommend this film.