What Only Cicadas See (dir. Brad Courtemanche)
By: Adam Freed
Some truths are better left undiscovered. This is certainly the case for aspiring true crime content creators Tariq and Mara, dual protagonists in Director Brad Courtemanche’s thrilling Southern mystery What Only Cicadas See. In an attempt to drive traffic to their content channel, the filmmakers seek to unearth a gruesome string of murders in rural Florida and in the process find themselves caught in a tightening vise of their own design. Courtemanche, who has honed his industry skills working as a production assistant on films such as Patriot’s Day (2016) and Detroit (2017) is also credited with crafting the screenplay for his latest film. While there is certainly a need for some post-production editorial streamlining of the story, What Only Cicadas See is proof positive that Courtemanche has a keen eye for capturing natural environments, many of which visually dazzle against the stagnant heat of the South Florida sun.
Adding to the laudable appeal of What Only Cicadas See is a delightfully layered performance by Omar Moustafa Ghonim (Don’t Look Up, Absolution). As Tariq, Ghonim is tasked with instilling his character with a hearty motivation to further the content quest that the aspiring journalists have dedicated their professional lives to achieving. As Tariq and Mara uncover the increasingly devastating details regarding the case, Tariq’s ambition becomes driven by a layer of morality that drives the young filmmaker’s desire to find justice for the victims of the heinous crimes. The gradual transition of his motivation is balanced wonderfully by Ghonim in a performance that is as emotionally resonant as it is engaging. Mara, captured by Mary Pursell (Dreamcrusher), enters the film already burdened by the considerable weight of a past trauma, the result of which asks Pursell’s performance to come with a much harder edge in addition to a built-in emotional defense system. With each step the partners make, along with the help of an AI tool named Echo, Mara’s psychological stability spirals precipitously. The combination of circumstances that mount under the considerable pressure of the investigation results in an increasingly outsized performance from Pursell, a register that risks distracting audiences from the excitement of the investigation.
What Only Cicadas See unfolds delightfully in the way that a carefully crafted limited series may, providing a revolving door of new insights and faces as each knot of the investigation is unfurled. There is a version of Brad Courtemanche’s nearly two hour thriller that may eventually become far more poignantly paced if it can find itself in the range of one-hundred minutes. The burden of some of the film’s elongated emotional responses, especially those that focus on Mara’s character, act as more of an anchor on the film’s pace rather than a propeller. There is certainly time to streamline the film’s presentation, and like a sculptor chipping away the final edges of a marble bust, it is sure to reveal an exciting and propulsive mystery thriller within What Only Cicadas See.
Target Score 6.5/10 - What Only Cicadas See is a gripping Southern mystery in need of an editor’s sharp eye. Beneath the burden of more than a few overdrawn emotional responses, is an immersive thriller that delivers with each increasingly haunting reveal.