Robin Tunney stars as a shy, mousy computer animator named Zoe
Adler who has trouble connecting with people. She has a compulsive need to go
out every night, since staying home for a solitary evening is a very scary
thought for her. After spending an evening at a party, Zoe is accosted by a
strange man, who gets into her car and forces her to drive off with him. When a
bicycle cop tries to stop her because she is acting suspiciously, the stalker in
Zoe's car stomps his foot on the accelerator, running over the cop and killing
him. She crashes her car afterwards, and to her horror, Zoe discovers that she
is blamed for the hit and run incident. She had been drinking at the party, and
her blood alcohol level was way over the legal limit. And the stalker, of
course, is long gone. No one believes her story, and Zoe is arrested.
Her lawyer decides to postpone the trial for as long as possible. In the
meantime, Zoe is placed under house arrest, where she has to wear an electronic
anklet, which is a tracking device that will not permit her to leave her hovel
of an apartment. The irony is clear: a woman who could not bear to be alone in
her home is now confined to it. But in the process, Zoe learns to live with
herself, and ultimately comes out of her shell. She becomes lean and fit, both
mentally and physically, and is now a self-reliant woman. Which is just as well,
because her stalker is still out there, and still eager to meet with her again.
Cherish is one of those entertaining films that you can watch over and over
again for many reasons. One of them is Robin Tunney, who does a marvelous job
in the lead role of Zoe. She convincingly portrays a withdrawn, somewhat
immature girl who has been transformed into a confident young woman after being
cocooned in her apartment for a time. She effortlessly carries the movie, and
her chemistry with Tim Blake Nelson, who plays the anklet technician, is
excellent. Another great thing about Cherish is that Nelson runs against type
as the typical leading man; he's a nebbish sort of guy who becomes smitten with
Zoe despite his initial reluctance. The film, superbly written and directed by
Finn Taylor, plays as a quirky romance/comedy/thriller that you can't take your eyes
off of. When the suspense aspect of the film kicks into overdrive, it then
becomes downright riveting.
The DVD is nicely decked out with special features. Writer/director Finn has a
commentary; there's a behind the scenes featurette; deleted scenes, and your
choice of full or widescreen versions of the film. --SF