Acidman

Acidman (2023)

A father - daughter relationship

The movie highlights the ins and outs of a father - daughter relationship. The dad lives in a trailer in the woods with his dog, and the daughter visits for a few days.

During the movie they work through their past, where they stand and what life brings for them as adults.

The dad has a penchant for electronic music and creates his own tracks. But he also likes to watch the sky at night to look for UFOs.

A beautiful movie with an interesting topic that shows how their relationship develops. A great watch for a quiet weekend night. The SciFi part wasn't as strong as I thought.

IN A NUTSHELL: The story is about Maggie who tracks down her estranged and reclusive father. She discovers his world of UFO-hunting as she realizes the sobering effects of aging.

The gentle film was directed by Alex Lehmann with screenwriting help from Chris Dowling.

THINGS I LIKED: I've been a fan of Thomas Haden Church for decades, ever since I first saw him in the cute TV show Wings. I loved seeing him in this. He did an outstanding job. Some film critics have been saying this is his best performance ever.

I'm always happy to see Dianna Agron get work in movies. Probably like you, I had never seen her in anything until the popular TV show GLEE. She's lovely and also gives us a good performance as she stretches her acting chops and shows us what she can do.

Gorgeous cinematography.

It's fascinating to watch the interplay between the two characters and how they realize how much they're truly alike.

Parent/child relationships can be complicated and take a completely new turn as the parent ages, resulting in a role reversal where the child needs to take care of the parent. This movie illustrates that extremely well. I could definitely relate to the sadness of those changes while watching all of my parents lose their memories and physical abilities in recent years. As you know, I've had to say goodbye and bury 3 parents in the past 3 months. As expected, the movie's nuanced performances made me weep.

There are a few humorous moments, but nothing so funny that it makes you laugh out loud. Overall, it's a very reflective, slow, drama.

The song at the end was perfect.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Some viewers might complain that the pacing is too slow. That's part of the journey. It illustrates well how slow life meanders from childhood to adulthood, yet also how relationships evolve.

If you're expecting to see aliens, you'll be disappointed.

The title of the film is a bit misleading. It makes it sound like a superhero movie or something!

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be completely bored because the whole film is about two adults talking.

Profanity, including F-bombs Guns A dog gets shot. We see blood.

A man smokes marijuana and talks about a trip.

Portrayal of death.

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All Of This: Minimal, Simple, Complex, True, Alienated, Alien, Tender, Low Key, Gentle, Lost, Found, Family, Daughter - Father, Warm, Fragmented, Beautiful, Alone, Search, Spacious, Real, American, Indie, Nature, Natural, Heartfelt, Warm, Caring, Strange, Poignant, Loss, Regret, Connect, Bond, Nevertheless, Despite It All, Quest, Minimal, Simple, Complex, True, Alienated, Alien, Tender, Low Key, Gentle, Lost, Found, Family, Daughter - Father, Warm, Fragmented, Beautiful, Alone, Search, Spacious, Real, American, Indie, Nature, Natural, Heartfelt, Warm, Caring, Strange, Poignant, Loss, Regret, Connect, Bond, Nevertheless, Despite It All, Quest. Love. Love. Love.

Prior to fine rom-com "Meet Cute" Alex Lehmann directed the intimate, weighty yet sluggish dramas "Blue Jay", "Paddleton" & "Acidman". In the latter 20-something Dianna Agron (Alicia Vikander-esque) visits a remote, craggy, forested Oregon coast to try connecting with her estranged, reclusive & possibly mentally ill dad Thomas Haden Church (likeable as ever) who lives alone with his dog 'communicating' with UFOs. Plot-wise Lehmann & Chris Dowling's script is disappointingly thin, but as a dual character study it's rich enough (helped by the great two central performances (especially Agron)) - whether that's enough to entertain most tho is debatable.

Firstly, I'd just like to point out how beautiful this film looks, especially with its opening establishing shots. The camerawork and mise-en scene are on point throughout and really give an accurate sense of place and time.

However, whilst entertaining (if not a little slow) this movie does have some flaws baked into its script. For me, the Father is a well acted character with a lot to be uncovered, but his arc just doesn't progress as the film goes on, and too much is left unsaid about what is actually going on with him. Its arguable that the director leaves this up to the viewer to decide, but considering the films runtime and lack of any other subplots, its hard to excuse this lack of character development and closure by the time the credits roll.

I'd recommend this movie to anyone who likes a slower paced character driven drama, but isn't expecting too much by the films conclusion. Acidman is a perfect lazy Sunday watch when things to do are light on the ground.