Cicada

Cicada picks at the affects our trauma and our past have on our current relationships. The story has a ton of depth but the acting and the script not as much.

Based on real events, this poignant and melancholic romance focuses on the complicated relationship developed by two Manhattan wounded souls, the former promiscuous painter Ben, and the African-American tomb researcher Sam. Directed by Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare, from a screenplay by Fifer, who also plays the lead character Ben, the film subtly blends fiction and doc, as both men delve into a personal self-analysis, exploring their real experiences as modern gay men. Contagiously delicate and humane, it depicts the obstacles imposed by trauma against love and commitment, and how we must fight it. Highly emotional and intimate, it also points to relevant facts on racism, intolerance and abuse.

In this semi-autobiographical film, two men meet in 2013 New York City and develop a relationship. The time is set by the cicada emergence in New York, and harkens back to events in the earlier 17-year cycle. However, other radio reports of the Sandusky sexual abuse case seems to place the action 2 years earlier.

Early on, there was a rapid-fire sequence to establish Ben as being bisexual. However, The short-scene technique used later was just distracting, as if assembled by someone with a short attention span.

In addition to common relationship problems - like different speeds of feelings development and degrees of outness - both participants also have prior traumas that make it difficult for each one to move forward. That is one of the problems of this film - there is too much story potential, which makes each story feel underdeveloped, especially with occasional scenes of simulated sex. I'm torn between interest in the sex and nudity, and yearning for more time for character development.

This movie is not only very well done, but tackles an issue that is often not discussed: the sexual assault of boys/men. I think the writing and acting were successful in the telling of this story and accurately depicted what it is like to live with PTSD.

"Cicada" isn't anything you haven't seen before. A quiet and grounded examination of a complicated LGBTQ relationship. The script could've been a bit stronger, since I guessed a lot of the storyline as it played out. Sometimes I was a bit confused about the genre... the comedic moments felt a bit out of place amongst the plot. Overall, I think this film was a really strong effort! There's loads of potential for the director and cast to springboard off of.