Cicadas or the sound of freudian inversion

#summerviewing and this time Matthew Fifer’s debut film (directing and starring), Cicada (2020), a languid, shimmering love letter to New York and the typical New York spirit. And that is a clue to understanding the film, it’s very specific to New York and it’s residents (the politics, humour, rhythm,…etc). The story is a post-Freudian attempt to look at (homo)sexuality. And for an older generation that could be upsetting and reminiscent of a time when homosexuality was only seen as a variation rooted in deviance or deeply traumatic childhood experiences (sexual molestation or assault). The premise of the protagonist that is at odds with the experience of sexual molestation and so descends into a spiral of sexual promiscuity & psychosomatic symptoms is an easy trope, dramatically, but not so facile conceptually, considering how it permeates the whole film with a very specific pathos (heavy undertones of exploitation, helplessness and endless self-victimisation). Maybe that’s what I dislike about it. 

Fifer is beautiful to look at, and he glows before the camera, and he knows it, and relishes it, as he fumbles with his dialogue and his clumsy articulation (mumblecore much?). His morbid sensuality is hypnotic, although a bit aimless and at times empty. Sheldon Brown (as Sam) offers a counterweight to the more brooding, narcissistic Fifer, and although at times he seethes at the blatant nature of white privilege, he has a stoic sensibility that is a welcome offset to Fifer’s more morose agitation. Cicada (the sounds of the insects are a sonic reminder of the instance of molestation) has many classic tropes of a classic conflicted (homo)sexuality mixed up with the element of race. At its best, it’s quirky, sometimes funny (supported by a memorable supporting cast) treatment of a tormented urban, middle class white gay man. At its worst it's an indulgent, self-absorbed, typically American filmic experiment. If not for anything, Cicada’s visual fluidity and gorgeous cinematography (thanks to Eric Schleicher), earns it a special place in the pantheon of contemporary queer cinema (with the likes of Weekend 2011, Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo 2016,..etc)

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Great Freedom, great misery