Before the 2016 election, middle America wasn't spoken about much — and perhaps that is part of the problem. An entire population of people felt overlooked and neglected, which only furthered feelings of isolation and resentment. This left little room for a real reckoning about what is truly happening in these communities as a whole. It also further erased the marginalized people that live in these predominantly white spaces.
In Cicada Song, writer/director Michael Starr dives into the core of the issue. Set in the picturesque rolling hills of Missouri — Starr centers two women and a community that has turned on itself. Karen (Lyndsey Lantz) is a non-nonsense farm manager, who has little patience for the people who once embraced her during her childhood, but turned their backs on her once she came out. However, she does have allies in her bosses — Judith (Kim Reed) and Kurt (Joseph Bottoms).
Though she's faced her share of adversity as a lesbian, Karen refuses to cower for anyone, especially after finding happiness with her live-in girlfriend, Annabelle (Jenny Mesa) -- a Cuban-born woman who works at the town's deli/gas station, Cowboys. Both women remain unyielding when they are bullied and harassed by a town resident who can't hide his disdain for them, and Richard (Rob Tepper), Annabelle's ex-boyfriend who continues to antagonize them.
Though Karen and Annabelle deal with microaggressions daily, Cicada Song is about much more than that. When the migrant farmworkers on Karen's farm inform her that a child has gone missing, the life that she shares with Annabelle quickly unravels, revealing something more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
Cicada's Song is striking because it intersects several things. Though the Midwest is often seen as an idyllic place, Starr uses the stunning backdrop to reveal some of the very serious issues that have long plagued the region. The farming crisis, along with xenophobia, racism, homophobia, and intolerance are all topics in this film. No matter how alarming or uncomfortable they are to watch, Starr refuses to shy away from these issues — forcing many Americans to see themselves in all of their nationalistic hatred. In addition to addressing these problems, Starr also puts a spotlight on immigrant communities who break their backs daily for our agricultural system with the fear of being discovered, deported or separated looming over them like a dark cloud.
Though this is Karen and Annabelle's story, Starr doesn't shove the migrant workers in the background. Their stories and experiences are also focal points here. Though many Americans value the labor of immigrants over their humanity, those who have come to this country have still carved out close-knit communities, raised children, and pressed forward with their dreams.
Cicada Song is much more than a commentary on things that need to be changed and adjusted — Starr also weaves in a mystery and a haunting thriller. As Karen digs, trying to retrace the steps of the missing child, she begins a race against time for her once calm and simple life.
Though the film's ending is a tad too tidy for it to be a real gut-punch for the audience — Cicada Song is well-paced and wonderfully acted. Lantz is stirring to watch as she begins to piece this massive puzzle together. The interaction Karen has with her estranged father was beyond heartbreaking. Likewise, Mesa's quippy clapbacks and vibrancy also keep the audience rooting for her, especially as she combats rude people and her predatory ex.
A film that centers the human cost of bigotry, greed, and racism, Cicada Song refuses to let rural America off the hook for its part in the issues ravaging our country. Instead, Starr asks his audience as a whole to look at ourselves and our own beliefs to consider just how far we're willing to go for our personal interest while stepping on the necks of others.
Cicada Song is now available on Apple TV and Amazon.