"You're traveling through another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of the mind. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. And it lies between the pit of one's fears and the summit of one's knowledge. You are now traveling through a dimension of imagination. You've just crossed over into The Twilight Zone."

It would be very hard, indeed, to argue against the impact that The Twilight Zone has had on television. To say that the series was a milestone in that medium would be an understatement of the worst kind. When Rod Serling brought his landmark series to CBS in October of 1959, television was still very new. No one was quite sure what the future held for that magical box. But that box was part of an invasion. The television set would change the face of the world. It would become the social center of our homes. It would influence who we choose as our leaders. In 1959 those fortunate enough to already have television sets in their homes would become the first to see that future. They were given a glimpse of what life might or would be. It was a gift that has continued giving 50 years later. The franchise has been tackled often since Rod Serling's original. There was the ill-fated anthology film where different directors delivered takes on different stories that was overshadowed by a tragic helicopter crash that killed two Vietnamese actors and veteran actor Vic Morrow. Two years later the series returned to television with a surprisingly solid two years. In 2002 there was yet another very brief television effort. Now the show returns in the world of streaming from CBS's All Access network. Unfortunately, it might just be the least of the franchise's incarnations.

I'm always cautious when I approach a low-budget independent film. It's not that I don't expect them to be good. I have found countless gems over the years that not only exceeded my expectations but have been placed on a must-watch-again list. The thing I'm most cautious about is the level of ambition a limited experience director might shoot for. Obviously there has to be a great amount of drive and ambition to even try to make a movie. I know many filmmakers think reviewers are frustrated and failed filmmakers. I'm not one of them. I have a great deal of respect for anyone who puts together a story and a crew and often risks their own resources to make a film. I'm talking about the ambition in the film itself. As I was watching Cicada Song for the first time, I started to worry about just that. This is a very ambitious film that tries to tackle a lot of things at one time. Yet writer/director managed to pull it off and deliver a film far more compelling than I was expecting.

The idea appears simple on the surface, but it is not. Karen is played by Lyndsey Lantz. She's had to hold her head up because she has several strikes against her in this rural setting. She's gay and appears Hispanic and suffers the barbs from both designations. She manages a farm operation for a couple who aren't necessarily what they appear to be. If I'm being vague here, it's because there is so much nuance to this story that telling you too much will risk ruining what the film works so hard to accomplish. Karen first hears that a young girl has gone missing. She starts to ask questions and discovers the missing child might be related to one a year ago. Before long, her lover Annabelle (Mesa) has also gone missing. She ends up asking the wrong questions and eventually left for dead in the middle of a wood, where she shows incredible strength and determination to survive. Without revealing too much, I can tell you that you shouldn't be too quick to figure out the good guys from the bad guys. Things aren't always what they seem. Lyndsey Lantz does a fine job as Karen and has to carry a lot of the weight of the story both in the "present" and flash-forward scenes. Other standouts in the cast are Kim Reed as the owner of the farm Karen manages and Jenny Mesa, who plays Annabelle.