Overview
Acide is a dystopian fantasy drama film released in 2023 as a collaboration between France and Belgium, directed by Just Philippot who also co-wrote the film with Yacine Badday. Acide is based on Philippot’s 2018 short film titled Acid, and this sequel further elaborates on the horrifying concept of acid rain which systematically causes destruction and the collapse of human civilization.
With a focus on human drama and a broken family that is forced to come together due to the unfurling of an environmental catastrophe, Acid is more of a harrowing, stripped-back survival story than an extravagant action blockbuster. The film not only focuses on the consequences of climate change, but also the emotional and psychological aftermath of instability in one’s life.
Synopsis
Acid is set in the not so distant future. France is suffering from an extreme and relentless heatwave. While the sun scorches the earth, other parts of the country are rumored to be experiencing rainfall. However, this is not rain in the traditional sense. Instead, the so-called rain corrodingly burns whatever it touches—a clear indicator of acid rain.
Michal is a working-class man haunted by a history of participating in violent protests. He is estranged from his wife, Elise, and emotionally distanced from his teenage daughter, Selma. Michal is attempting to mend the tattered threads of familial connection, carefully trying to reintegrate himself into their lives. Their shared reality is a thick fog of animosity intertwined with quagmire of regret and fractured affection.
When Michal, Elise, and Selma are caught in the middle of the environmental disaster of acid clouds and rain, societal panic leads to complete breakdown. Homes become prisons, roads become battlefields, and order dissolves into chaos. During this dangerous chaos, the three are thrust together, and the clash of family drama and external turmoil sets the stage for desperation.
Every family experiences the innate struggle of emotional turmoil, but the family in this meticulously crafted narrative face a glimpse of the world beyond, finding a window into acid rains that threaten to tear them asunder. What begins as a tale of family discord spirals into a multi-faceted tale of family estrangement, guilt, and the longing for untainting bonds.
Cast & Characters
Guillaume Canet as Michal: He is an emotionally stunted, deeply flawed man whose burden is to assume the role of a protector. Canet gives a raw performance, displaying both strength and tenderness as a father trying to mend the scars of the past.
Laetitia Dosch as Elise: Michal’s former partner and Selma’s mother. Elise is emotionally and fiercely protective, and is deeply guarded. Dosch portrays with great strength and nuance the as the character who embodies the resilience of women in crisis.
Patience Munchenbach as Selma: The story’s emotional center. As a teenager caught in a complicated parental relationship and an environmental catastrophe, Selma is the mixture of defiant, fearful, and surprisingly resilient.
The interplay of the three is crucial to the film’s emotional impact. A shared history of hurts and arguments, coupled with silences laden with unexpressed truths weave together as the trio confront an uncertain future.
Themes & Tone
Environmental Collapse
Acid is a chilling reflection of a deep-seated anxiety within the umwelt experiencing climate anxiety. The acid rain is not only a narrative device but a tangible reflection of the invisible impacts of humanity’s negligence. It is a critique of climate change, pollution, and the ever-fragile state of human civilization in hostile conditions from nature. While the film refrains from moralistic overtures, it showcases the swift unraveling of ‘normal’ life in the face of ecological disruption.
Family and Redemption
At its core, Acid focuses on a family in conflict. Michal, Elise, and Selma are not only fleeing from an external danger, but also from each other. Their external journey becomes an internal one—towards healing and reconciliation.
Isolation and Helplessness
The film sustains a stifling and almost quiet atmosphere. There are no world-saving scientists or superheroes, only commonplace individuals facing an outlandish threat. This rooted view intensifies the feeling of helplessness, making each scene increasingly relatable and unsettling.
Social Disintegration
As civilization crumbles, Acid depicts the time when human structures have fallen apart. Law enforcement becomes frenzied, strangers no longer have the ability for trust, and society becomes desperate. These chaotic snapshots, though momentary, serve as stark reminders of how fragile civilization truly is.
Visual Style and Direction
Director Just Philippot took a more minimalistic approach to the film. Its aesthetic is muted, dominated by sickly yellowish-green acid skies, brackish browns, and ashen grays. The camerawork’s use of handheld and close-up shots bestows a personal, documentary-like intimacy.
Acid rain scenes are horrifyingly realistic. Instead of glowing green sci-fi liquid, the acid manifests as clear droplets that sizzle upon contact with skin, rot clothing, and corrode flesh. The horror is understated, yet visceral.
The pacing is systematic. Philippot heightens suspense through prolonged silences, distressed breaths, and quiet periods preceding disorder. This gradual approach contrasts the heightened violence and tragedy, making the content more impactful.
Performances
Canet delivered a strong, yet restrained performance as Michal. He neither a hero nor a villain to this story. He is simply a person attempting—failing, and attempting again. His vulnerability beneath a rough exterior captures the essence of the character.
Laetitia Dosch tackles the role of Elise with compassion and tension, giving the character consistency as well as intensity. With Canet, the two have palpable chemistry that communicates a believable friction and shared history.
The characterization of Selma by Patience Munchenbach is the most striking. Her performance is a quiet yet devastating portrait of a teenager dealing with anger, fear, and a forced transition to adulthood. Perhaps the most potent character arc of the film is Selma’s gradual evolution from emotional detachment to quiet courage, which transforms her from a sounding board to an engine of emotional strength.
Reception & Analysis
The reception of Acid earned praise due to the novel approach to genre filmmaking. It incorporates elements of sci-fi and horror, yet retains a fundamentally human essence. Building the story around one family instead of widespread chaos serves to strengthen the emotional impact of the film.
While some critics might state the film’s ending is abrupt, thereby making it unresolved, others would counter that argument by saying it enhances the film’s realism. Disasters in the real world do not come to a neat conclusion, and neither does Acid.
Instead of trying to elaborate on the causes of the catastrophe, the film appears to dwell on the emotional aftermath. It parallels the gradual destruction of climate change—unhurried, relentless, and deeply intimate.
Conclusion
Acid is a chilling, deeply moving ecological survival drama with the resonant theme of existential dread. It is not an over-the-top, special effects-rich showcase. Rather, it is a deeply poignant depiction of a family’s struggle to survive amid a relentless ecological disaster and their own haunting memories.
By entwining themes of personal and environmental horror in Acid, the film is a commentary not only on the climate crisis, but also on the emotional storms we endure within ourselves and in our relationships.
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