Cicada

As a young man embarks on a new relationship, he is forced to face the traumas of his past in this remarkable debut feature.

Introspective bisexual Ben drifts from one casual encounter to the next. While his recent relationships barely last past morning, things change when he meets Sam, a handsome stranger with whom he forms an immediate connection. But as they spend more time together, both men begin to recognise the need to confront past traumas if they are to truly let the other person in.

Based on personal experience, writer/director/star Matthew Fifer and co-director Kieran Mulcare’s richly textured drama, tackles complex subjects with grace, delicacy and uncompromising honesty. Fifer’s sympathetic central performance is ably matched by co-writer Sheldon D Brown’s nuanced turn as Sam, with the pair establishing an effortless on-screen connection that brings real heart to their timely and ultimately hopeful tale.