''Cicada'' is a 2020 American
romantic drama film directed by Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare. Fifer co-wrote the film with Sheldon D. Brown, both of whom starred in leading roles.
After its original premiere was canceled from Covid-19, the film played at
Outfest Film Festival on August 22, 2020, with the European premiere at the 64th BFI London Film Festival. It received a limited theatrical from Strand Releasing in the United States October 29, 2021. It was subsequently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
Synopsis
Ben spends his days living in Brooklyn and taking on a series of odd jobs, while at night he has meaningless
one-night stands that leave him feeling empty inside. He suffers from
hypochondria
Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. An old concept, the meaning of hypochondria has repeatedly changed. It has been claimed that this debilitating cond ...
and has a set routine that he frequently goes through with his physician, Dr. Dragone. Ben's life takes on new meaning when he meets Sam, a
data analyst, while browsing for books. They quickly grow very close to each other, each admitting personal secrets that they had never really told to anyone else before. Ben comes forward about his
childhood sexual abuse and while Sam admits that he has
post traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...
from being shot and also has not
come out
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
yet to his extremely religious father. As the two grow closer still, they soon realize that each must come to terms with their traumas if the relationship is to survive.
Cast
* Matt Fifer as Ben
* Sheldon D. Brown as Sam
* Sandra Bauleo as Debbie
*
Jazmin Grace Grimaldi as Amber
*
Cobie Smulders as Sophie
*
Scott Adsit
Robert Scott Adsit (born November 26, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, Adsit joined the mainstage cast of Chicago's The Second City in 1994 after attending Columbia College Chicago. He app ...
as Dr. Dragone
*
Michael Potts as Francis
*
David Burtka as Bo
* Jo Firestone as Tracy
*
Jason Greene as Theresa
Production
Fifer wrote the script based upon his own life experiences. ''Cicada'' was developed with the support of Tribeca's TFI Network, and was produced by Ramfis Myrthil of Beast of the East Productions and Jeremey Truong.
Release
The film was meant to premiere at the
BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival in March 2020, but the event was canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. It instead premiered at the
Outfest Film Festival on August 20, 2020, being made available for streaming on
Vimeo until August 23. It was also screened at the Outfest Drive-In at the Calamigos Ranch in
Malibu on August 22.
The film was released in select theatres in the United States by
Strand Releasing beginning October 29, 2021. It premiered at the
Quad Cinema in
New York City, before being released on
PVOD services and in
Los Angeles and
Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''.
It may refer to:
Places Australia
* Glendale, New South Wales
** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre
*Glendale, Queensland, ...
on November 5. The film was later released at
The Loft Cinema in
Tucson on November 10 and the Syndicated Bar Theater in
Brooklyn on November 19.
Reception
Critical reception for ''Cicada'' has been positive, and the movie holds a rating of on
Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews, with an average rating of . The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads, "A feast for the eyes as well as the heart, ''Cicada'' takes a bittersweet -- and beautifully acted -- look at the bonds of love."
''
Variety''
's Guy Lodge reviewed ''Cicada'', stating that it was an "untidy but beguiling study of two Brooklyn men negotiating romance and trauma". ''
The Hollywood Reporter'' praised the film's characters, while also writing that the "stylistic leaps can also be overdone and vague". Albert Nowicki of ''Prime Movies'' labelled the film as "naturalistic", and praised the actors for their "raw", "understated" performances.
Awards
* Audience Award at
Image+Nation (2020, won)
* Jury Prize at LesGaiCineMad, Madrid International LGBT Film Festival
* Honorable Mention in Narrative Feature at NewFest: New York's LGBT Film Festival
* 2nd Place for Jury Prize in Best Feature at OUTshine Film Festival
* Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival
* Jury Award for Best Feature Film at Out Film CT
* Jury Award (Best Feature)+ Audience Award (Best Male Feature) at Roze Filmdagen; Amsterdam LGBTQ Film Festival
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 8998768
2020 films
2020 LGBT-related films
2020 romantic drama films
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
American LGBT-related films
American romantic drama films
Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Films set in Brooklyn
Gay-related films
LGBT-related romantic drama films
Male bisexuality in film