Character Relationship Map: Cherry, Harry & Raquel!

Characters

• Raquel (played by Larissa Ely) — protagonist

  Raquel is a blonde writer who sexually pleases local men for her own enjoyment. She is intrigued by Cherry, later meets her in the hospital, and shares marijuana, dancing, and sex with her. After the...

• Cherry (played by Linda Ashton) — supporting

  Cherry is an English nurse and Harry's girlfriend, living with him at the site of a defunct silver mine. She becomes Raquel's assigned nurse after Raquel is shocked by a murder, then shares marijuana...

• Harry (played by Charles Napier) — supporting

  Harry is a small-town border sheriff and Cherry's boyfriend. He works with Enrique for Mr. Franklin in a marijuana-smuggling operation and is ordered to eliminate a renegade associate. After repeated...

• Mr. Franklin (played by Frank Bolger) — supporting

  Mr. Franklin is a local politician who directs Harry and Enrique's marijuana-smuggling operation. He orders Harry to kill a renegade associate, then decides Enrique must also die because he knows too...

• Enrique (played by Bert Santos) — supporting

  Enrique is Harry's Mexican-American associate in Mr. Franklin's marijuana operation. He is summoned while in bed with Raquel to help find and kill a renegade associate, but later becomes a target beca...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Raquel → Mr. Franklin (Professional Sexual Service Provider) — Their connection is presented as a transactional sexual arrangement.

  Raquel goes to the hospital intending to sexually service Mr. Franklin, but discovers that he has been murdered.

• Mr. Franklin → Enrique (Power Criminal Supervisor) — Franklin treats Enrique as a disposable subordinate and liability.

  Franklin decides that Enrique must be killed because he knows too much and helps arrange a delivery at the mine.

• Mr. Franklin → Harry (Professional Employer) — Franklin employs Harry as an enforcer in the marijuana operation.

  Harry works for local politician Mr. Franklin, who directs him to kill the associate who has gone into business independently.

• Harry → Enrique (Professional Operational Associate) — They are partners in the border operation and later become trapped in Franklin's elimination plan.

  Harry and his Mexican-American associate Enrique work together for Mr. Franklin in a marijuana-smuggling operation.

• Raquel → Enrique (Romantic Sexual Acquaintance) — Raquel and Enrique have an intimate encounter before the criminal operation escalates.

  When Harry summons Enrique for the desert mission, Enrique is described as being in bed with Raquel.

• Cherry → Raquel (Romantic Sexual Partner) — Their encounter becomes the film's most significant intimate relationship.

  Cherry and Raquel share marijuana cigarettes, dance naked together, and have a sexual experience in the hospital.

• Cherry → Harry (Romantic Girlfriend) — Cherry and Harry are an established couple, although Harry's possessiveness creates tension.

  The plot identifies Cherry as Harry's girlfriend, and they live together at the abandoned silver mine.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Harry → Raquel (Conflict Jealous Gatekeeper) — Harry obstructs the relationship between Cherry and Raquel through jealousy and moral control.

  Harry prevents Cherry from meeting Raquel because he considers sex between two women to be un-American.

Story Analysis

A border crime melodrama gradually becomes a surreal story about desire, violence, authorship, and fictional identity.

Plot Progression

1. Border Desire and Contraband — The film introduces Harry, Cherry, and Raquel within a border-town environment shaped by sexuality and marijuana smuggling. Harry's possessiveness prevents Cherry and Raquel from meeting.
2. Franklin's Violent Orders — Harry and Enrique work under Mr. Franklin in a border-smuggling operation. Franklin orders the elimination of a rogue associate, but the first desert search fails.
3. The Operation Collapses — Franklin expands the death order to include Enrique and arranges a trap at the mine. Enrique is killed in the desert, and Raquel discovers Franklin's murder at the hospital.
4. Hospital Transgression — Cherry becomes Raquel's nurse after Raquel's traumatic discovery. Marijuana and mutual curiosity dissolve the earlier barrier between them, leading to sexual intimacy.
5. Gunfire and Fiction — Harry confronts the attacker at the mine, and both die in the gunfight. The narrator's commentary gives way to the revelation that Raquel wrote the entire story.