Cherry Uses Pieces Of Nico Walker’s True Story — His Reaction Has Been Tepid At Best
Refinery29
3/14/2021
Cherry was adapted from a book by the same name, which is not strictly biographical, but draws significantly from the author’s life. The book was first published in 2018, while
Cherry author Nico Walker was imprisoned for robbing banks (he was released in 2019), and it lays bare a horrible truth about the way we treat military veterans in the U.S.
How does someone who came home as a celebrated Iraq war veteran, with over 250 combat missions under his belt, end up in jail for robbery? Both the novel and the movie attempt to explain, as we follow Cherry (Holland), a young man who has his whole life ahead of him, including a loving relationship with his girlfriend Emily (Ciara Bravo). But, after enlisting in the army and shipping overseas as a medic, Cherry returns home with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) — something an estimated 11 to 20% of Iraq war veterans suffer from — only it goes undiagnosed initially. To cope, he turns to mind altering drugs. When they get too expensive, that’s when the bank robbing spree around Cleveland begins. The spree doesn’t last long, as Cherry is soon apprehended — just like