Cherry On Top: Review of the Netflix Series "Brand New Cherry Flavor"
If you had David Cronenberg make Mulholland Drive you would probably end up with something like the new mini series on Netflix, Brand New Cherry Flavor. I found it to be a mixed bag of delight, disgust, intrigue and irritation.
Created by Nick Antosca and Lenore Zion, who both previously worked on Channel Zero. They’ve clearly drawn on that experience to bring Todd Grimson’s book to the screen. This surreal Hollywood nightmare of ambition, fame, entitlement and greed is likely to spark some lively conversations amongst your friends. Especially with relation to how far you might go to get what you want.
The story covers Lisa Nova (played by Rosa Salazar) an aspiring independent film director who’s horror film Lucy’s Eye has gained the attention of Lou Burke. Lou is a washed up producer looking for a big break to put him back on top. When he tries to take advantage of Lisa (both physically and creatively) and steals her film, Lisa turns to the mysterious Boro who offers to curse Lou. And that’s just the first episode. What follows is a descent into madness and horror for Lisa, Lou and everyone they cross paths with, as they vie for control of the chaos that has been unleashed.
Lisa and her evolving apartment
On the surface, Brand New Cherry Flavor is an indictment of Hollywood that has been told for decades, but dig just a little deeper and it is a scathing character analysis of the aggression at the heart of ambition and the toxicity of revenge and entitlement. Every person in this surreal tale is complex, fully realized and savagely realistic. Constantly prone to impulses, mistakes and assumptions, the way so many of us can be in extreme situations, it may leave a lot of its audience shouting at the screen in irritation and frustration. Since they have created these deeply flawed and realistic characters, it makes it difficult to feel much sympathy for their plight since they are collectively to blame for all their torment.
That said it is a testament to the acting, which is impeccable. Rosa Salazar excels as the vindictive and often manic lead. Eric Lange has great chemistry with her as the toxic and entitled Lou Burke. But the one who really brings the show together, the cherry on top, is Catherine Keener as Boro. She brings the same understated intensity she had in Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017), and combines it with this enigmatic and mesmerizing character. She rightly steals every scene she’s in and I was honestly eager for each following episode just to see what she would do next.
Boro awaiting her next ‘client’
There is so much that can be said about this show. The South American mysticism, the surprising body horror, doors to nowhere, weird plants, zombies and a surprising amount of kittens. But not only would it spoil what should be experienced first hand, it would also undermine what this tale is really about.
Overall the characters in this show prove that behind the camera there are no heroes. There are just people who want power. Power over their life and others. The only true difference, between any of the characters, is how far they’re willing to go to get more.
My Rating: 7/10
Where To Watch:
Netflix, obviously.
