About Cherry (2012)

About Cherry is at its best as a bruised, intimate coming-of-age story that refuses to look away, anchored by Ashley Hinshaw’s fearless, emotionally present performance as a young woman trying to outrun a life that keeps closing in on her. Stephen Elliott paints San Francisco with a seductive, neon haze—equal parts promise and trap—making the city feel like a character that welcomes you in and quietly takes its toll. The film’s depiction of the adult-film world is less sensational than you might expect, more curious and melancholy, with Lili Taylor and Dev Patel adding human warmth and complicated gravity around the edges. It’s not for everyone—its roughness can feel raw and its choices can frustrate—but if you’re drawn to dramas that chase messy truth over tidy morals, this one has an undeniable pull.

About Cherry wants to be a gritty coming-of-age spiral into San Francisco’s sex-and-drugs nightlife, using Angelina’s escape as a lens on exploitation, agency, and survival. The problem is it often feels like it’s skimming the surface: relationships read oddly flat, the conflicts don’t land with much weight, and the writing keeps serious material at arm’s length instead of digging into it. If you’re looking for a sharp, psychologically rich drama that actually interrogates the porn industry and its power dynamics, this may leave you frustrated and underfed. Still, there’s an earnest, moody atmosphere and a committed central performance, so it can work as a vibe-piece if you don’t need the story to say anything particularly deep.