Tribeca 2022: Acidman Review

This will be one of several reviews from this year’s Tribeca film Festival. To follow our coverage, click here.

While the COVID-19 pandemic affected countless film productions the last few years, it has also forced filmmakers and studios to be creative when it comes to film production as a whole by taking measures either narratively or practically. That being said, their success has ultimately gone either way. For making the best out of what are often not the most ideal of circumstances, such productions should be commended regardless. When it comes to Acidman, it is definitely such a film that is very simple as a result of its circumstances but is nonetheless still an effective one. Not overly long, clocking in at under 90 minutes, the film is essentially a two-handed character piece lifted by plenty of charm and emotion and a pair of strong performances from Dianna Agron and Thomas Haden Church who appear throughout. If there was any negative here, it is how the film eventually succumbs to its simplicity. Though it may not bring much new to the table, what it does, it does well.

Acidman sees a woman named Maggie (Agron), who in worrying about her reclusive father Lloyd (Church), tracks him down in order to repair their fractured relationship. Little did they know, each had some work to do individually as maybe they were more alike than they thought. Perhaps this time together was all they needed if only as a temporary distraction while they mend their fractured relationship. What started off as a mission to pull Lloyd out of his current delusions became a mission to understand and empathize with him to make sure he’s okay. Meanwhile, he was not blind to what Maggie was going through either. In the end, their time together afforded both some much needed perspective in order to move forward. Putting a sci-fi twist on this father-daughter tale, there is only so much that the film can do but in spite of that, it takes it in an interesting direction. However, its limited nature prevents it from doing all that much with it.

The best part of Acidman was of course the performances from Agron and Church as Maggie and Lloyd. Their chemistry carries the film by creating a compelling father-daughter dynamic. Church is given a lot more to do as a damaged man suffering from his self-imposed isolation.

At the end of the day, Acidman may not be new but it still hits the right spot and does just enough to get by for those looking to have their heartstrings pulled.

still courtesy of Tribeca

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Where to watch Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.