Cherry

In one of the most optimistic indie films so far this year, Alex Trewhitt delivers a staggering central performance, turning this teen drama into something special.

Some movies you want to hug, just to reward how a film makes you feel and what magic it is when a setting, a character, a star and a story sing together in near perfect harmony.

Confronting that larger crisis directly is not the goal here. Though “Cherry” dips a toe in those troubled topical waters, it does so only gingerly, preferring instead to spin an uncomplicated, timeless tale about a woman coming into her own.

In the immediate post-Roe era, any discussion of abortion is going to be timely. But what gives Cherry life beyond this moment is that central idea of facing change, and realizing that not making a decision is in itself a decision. There's something heartwarming in it being less important what choice Cherry makes than in watching her try to make it for the right reasons.

Ultimately, this film is less about her final decision than about how having these choices helps her figure out who she wants to be.

I’m not suggesting Cherry should have a laugh track, because it is not funny at all, despite several attempts at humor.