Cherri, a visually rich and emotionally layered Cuban drama from director Fabián Suárez, will debut on all major streaming platforms on April 21st from Breaking Glass Pictures. Exploring themes of desire, loyalty, and emotional resilience, the film follows an aging, overweight, and fiercely romantic gay man whose longing for love leads him down a risky emotional path.
At the center of the story is Cherri, a flamboyant ballet lover and antiques dealer in Havana who leads a plus-size ballet troupe at a local weight clinic while caring for his disabled husband. Though his life is defined by devotion and responsibility, Cherri becomes consumed by a dangerous infatuation with Tim, a handsome young security guard whose attention rekindles the possibility of romance—while threatening to become his undoing.
“Cherri loves his husband, whose lifeless body now needs his care,” Suárez explains. “But Cherri is still vibrant and capable of love and desire.”
Even as he suspects Tim may be exploiting his feelings, Cherri chooses to pursue the relationship, embracing the vulnerability that comes with loving deeply. As Suárez notes, “Cherri truly longs for love. He’s an idealist who takes a chance—but life doesn’t always give you what you’re looking for.”
Dance serves as both refuge and emotional expression throughout the film. As the leader of a ballet troupe made up of larger bodies, Cherri challenges traditional notions of beauty and grace while finding solace in movement.
“Cherri is obese, yet he loves ballet,” Suárez says. “His body is heavy and light at the same time. Dance becomes a space of freedom where another way of moving—and another way of being—can exist. Just as he refuses to give up on love, he refuses to give up on dance.”
The character of Cherri was inspired by renowned Cuban dancer and choreographer Juan Miguel Más, who also portrays the title role in the film. Suárez first encountered Más while studying at the University of the Arts in Havana.
“I was surprised to see an atypical dancer on stage who shattered my preconceived notions of the Cuban school of dance,” Suárez recalls. “I immediately felt a connection with that dancer. His body is both political and artistic. It stands against the established norms of style and the misguided idea that sculpted bodies are the path to happiness.”
Set against the backdrop of contemporary Havana, Cherri also reflects the emotional climate of a country facing uncertainty and hardship.
“I inhabit a country that grows lonelier, poorer, and sadder every day,” Suárez says. “The image of the empty house in the film, and of Cherri parting with his valuables, becomes a metaphor for a Cuba in agony. Cherri asks how to live with loneliness and brokenness. I ask myself that same question.”
“Ultimately, Cherri is a deeply human story about persistence, vulnerability, and hope,” says Richard Wolff of Breaking Glass Pictures. “Through its unforgettable protagonist, the film reminds audiences that love is rarely logical—but it remains essential.”
“You don’t need to have a large body to feel alone,” Suárez adds. “What matters is the desire to love again. This film invites us to look beyond appearances and celebrate love in all its free expressions.”
Cherri will be available for streaming on all major platforms beginning April 21st.
All photos provided by Breaking Glass Pictures.