Cicada (film)

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. 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 PTSD from being shot years before while Sam admits that he hasn't 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.[5]

• Matt Fifer as Ben
• Sheldon D. Brown as Sam
• Sandra Bauleo as Debbie
• Jazmin Grace Grimaldi as Amber
• Cobie Smulders as Sophie
• Scott Adsit as Dr. Dragone
• Michael Potts as Francis
• David Burtka as Bo
• Jo Firestone as Tracy
• Jason Greene as Theresa

Fifer wrote the script based upon his own life experiences.[6]

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]

The film had its world premiere at the LGBTQI+ Film Festival in London on March 18th, 2020, but did not screen. [8] It officially premiered and screened in the United States at the Outfest Film Festival on August 22, 2020.

Critical reception for Cicada has been positive and the movie holds a rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews.[9][10]

Variety's Guy Lodge reviewed Cicada, stating that it was an "untidy but beguiling study of two Brooklyn men negotiating romance and trauma".[11] The Hollywood Reporter praised the film's characters while also writing that the "stylistic leaps can also be overdone and vague".[12]

• Cicada on IMDb