Cherish

Finn Taylor’s previous film, Dream with the Fishes, was a bit more adventurous and satisfying than this, his latest film. But though Cherish comes across as very polished, studio-friendly, and ready-to-digest, I was still seduced by its charm. The premise has a woman, falsely accused of a deadly hit-and-run, under home arrest via an electronic bracelet program. The thriller element moves at a leisurely rate, allowing our protagonist time to endear herself to our hearts as she deals with cabin fever and hits on her anal-retentive monitor, a guy who makes regularly scheduled visits to check on her bracelet. The retro soundtrack (Human League, Hall and Oats, etc.) gives the whole enterprise a nostalgic pop glow that works nicely.