Cicada (2020 film) explained

Cicada
Director:Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare
Producer:Jeremy Truong
Ramfis Myrthil
Starring:Matthew Fifer
Sheldon Brown
Sandra Bauleo
Jazmin Grimaldi
Cobie Smulders
Scott Adsit
Michael Potts
David Burtka
Jo Firestone
Jason "Freckle" Greene
Music:Gil Talmi
Cinematography:Eric Schleicher
Editing:Kyle Sims
Matthew Fifer
Studio:rubbertape
Distributor:Strand Releasing
Runtime:93 minutes[1]
Country:United States
Language:English
Gross:$13,370[2]

Cicada is a 2020 American romantic drama film directed by Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare.[3] Fifer co-wrote the film with Sheldon D. Brown, both of whom starred in leading roles.[4] [5]

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 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.

Over time, the two men each admit 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 from being shot and also has not come out 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.[6]

Cast

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.[7]

Release

The film was meant to premiere at the in March 2020, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] 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.[9] [10]

The film was released in select theatres in the United States by Strand Releasing beginning October 29, 2021.[11] It premiered at the Quad Cinema in New York City, before being released on PVOD services and in Los Angeles and Glendale 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.[12]

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."[13]

Variety's Guy Lodge reviewed Cicada, stating that it was an "untidy but beguiling study of two Brooklyn men negotiating romance and trauma".[14] The Hollywood Reporter praised the film's characters, while also writing that the "stylistic leaps can also be overdone and vague".[15] Albert Nowicki of Prime Movies labelled the film as "naturalistic", and praised the actors for their "raw", "understated" performances.[16]

Awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CICADA (15). Outfest. August 6, 2020. August 6, 2020. September 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200901115211/https://www.outfestnow.com/cicada. dead.
  2. 8998768 . Cicada (2020) . . December 3, 2021.
  3. Web site: This year's BFI Flare line-up has been announced – and it's a doozy (15). Time Out. February 19, 2020. February 19, 2020.
  4. Web site: Outfest Los Angeles Sets 'The Obituary of Tunde Johnson', 'Monsoon', 'Two Eyes' And More For Virtual LGBTQ Film Fest (15). Deadline. August 20, 2020. August 10, 2020.
  5. Web site: Rosser. Michael. LGBTQ+ drama 'Cicada' acquired for UK-Ireland distribution. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201221135032/https://www.screendaily.com/news/lgbtq-drama-cicada-acquired-for-uk-ireland-distribution/5155887.article . December 21, 2020 . 2021-01-06. Screen Daily. en.
  6. Web site: BFI ANNOUNCES SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS AT 34TH EDITION OF BFI FLARE: LONDON LGBTIQ+ FILM FESTIVAL. January 5, 2021.
  7. Web site: Special presentations announced for 34th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival . . February 14, 2020 . April 24, 2023 .
  8. Web site: BFI Flare festival cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic . Michael Rosser . . March 16, 2021 . November 1, 2021 .
  9. Web site: 10 LGBTQ Films We Can't Wait to See at Outfest 2020 . Jude Dry . . August 21, 2020 . November 1, 2021 .
  10. Web site: Outfest 2020 Review: Matthew Fifer and Kieran Mulcare's Evocative "Cicada" Moves at Its Own Speed . Stephen Saito . The Moveable Fest . August 21, 2020 . November 1, 2021 .
  11. Web site: Official Trailer for 'Cicada' About a Summer Fling Between Two Men . October 8, 2021 . November 1, 2021 .
  12. Web site: Cicada: USA Matthew Filler. Strand Releasing. November 23, 2021.
  13. Web site: Cicada. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. . https://web.archive.org/web/20211027155211/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cicada_2021 . October 27, 2021 . live.
  14. Web site: Lodge. Guy. 2020-10-16. 'Cicada' Review: The Pain and Poetry of Being Young, Queer, Troubled and In Love. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201017105145/https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/cicada-review-the-pain-and-poetry-of-being-young-queer-troubled-and-in-love-1234807630/ . October 17, 2020 . 2021-01-06. Variety. en-US.
  15. Web site: October 29, 2020. 'Cicada': Film Review. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201030063337/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cicada-film-review . October 30, 2020 . 2021-01-06. Hollywood Reporter.
  16. Web site: Review: 'Cicada', a gay drama directed by Matthew Fifer. Prime Movies. Albert. Nowicki. February 11, 2022. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220211150246/https://primemovies.pl/2022/02/11/cykady-recenzja-filmu/. February 11, 2022. February 12, 2022. live.
  17. Web site: 'Cicada'. February 12, 2022.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cicada (2020 film)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.