director statements

Raised blocks away from each other in Brooklyn, we sought to revisit summer's bliss. Like Owen’s bike ride through brownstone streets, we roamed our minds for a story which would bring us back. The photograph, a motif of the past, became our vehicle. A moment that cannot be recaptured. A tangible piece of history. A reminder of dreams we forgot we had or versions of ourselves we desperately want buried. A lens that could be distorted. 

We shot our little story in Cobble Hill and Tribeca. Crossing the Brooklyn bridge between sets, our eyes saw the city rise before dawn and twinkle after dusk. That summer is a shimmering memory now, but in remembering those mystical hours of crossing, we realized our film is very much the tale of a bridge. One that connects us between high school and college, childhood and adulthood, father and son. 

Cycles is ultimately about the tether between generations. Owen floats comfortably until he finds out his dad’s hidden trauma. When confronted with how his father dealt with it, Owen’s naive sense of justice is thrown into a spiral. But the choice to accept the past with optimism or cynicism is his alone. When we recognize that our parents are real people, we grow up. 

Thank you to all who made our film possible.
We are indebted to our backers, an incredible crew, cast, friends, and the Brooklyn community.