During a heat wave, strange clouds start pouring down acid rain, wreaking devastation and panic throughout France. In a world teetering on the edge, a girl and her divorced parents must join forces to confront and try to escape this climate catastrophe. A film by Just Philippot, starring Guillaume Canet, Laetitia Dosch, Patience Munchenbach, Marie Jung, Martin Verset, Suliane Brahim, and Clément Bresson.

Following a factory accident that resulted in severe leg injuries for an employee named Karin Besaad (Suliane Brahim), Michal (Guillaume Canet) leads a group of workers demanding justice for her. The protest escalates into violence, with workers destroying the office. Michal is arrested for assaulting his boss, Mr. Berthier (Pascal Parmentier). Michal is later released and is sentenced to a three-month probation. He promises Karin to move to Brussels to care for her.

When Selma (Patience Munchenbach) overhears girls in her class badmouthing her father Michal while watching the viral clip of the factory riot, she gets upset and smears horse poop on one of them. Her mother Élise Mazany (Laetitia Dosch) and uncle Brice (Clément Bresson) are called to the school. Selma and her mother’s relationship is strained, leading Selma to prefer living with her less strict father.

At Michal’s house, Selma watches the news with growing concern, as they report on unusual acid rain hitting Latin America and injuring animals. The report highlights the corrosive nature of the acid rain, emphasizing its damaging effects on skin, eyes, respiratory, and digestive tracts. However, Michal dismissed his daughter’s concern, claiming that the news often exaggerates facts to grab attention.

The next dat, Élise learns about the acid rain reaching France and develops a sinking feeling. An unsettling premonition washes over her. Deciding to act fast, she calls her ex-husband, Michal, for help. Initially reluctant due to his probation, Michal eventually agrees to pick her up. They race against the clock, arriving at Selma’s school just as the first acidic drops begin to fall.

Panic erupts as the rain intensifies, unleashing chaos across France. People caught without shelter are tragically injured, the acid rain’s corrosive effects taking their toll. Brice suggests Élise head east, away from the rain, and meet him at Gauthier’s winery where they would be safe.

French filmmaker Just Philippot expands upon his 2018 short film of the same name with “ACIDE,” a decent premise woven around an estranged family forced to reconcile amidst the escalating chaos of a nationwide acid rain disaster. The film boasts impressive visual effects, particularly the bridge scene, further immersing viewers in this dystopian struggle for survival.

The film, however, stumbles on its underdeveloped script. The 95-minute runtime fails to elicit audience investment in any of the characters, whose lack of growth throughout the film further undermines their actions. Bizarre and often illogical decisions plague the narrative, compounding the overall weakness. Laetitia Dosch’s portrayal of Élise offers a glimmer of humanity, her character embodying a measure of reason and wisdom. While Guillaume Canet delivers a commendable performance as a conflicted father torn between familial responsibility and personal desires, the character’s inconsistent choices leave viewers struggling to empathize with his motivations.

Selma is the most obnoxious character in my recent memory. She yells and screams for no apparent reason, and she behaves as if she were a spoiled child. She continues to make decisions that are more bizarre and foolish than the one she made before.

Disaster films typically offer audiences a beacon of hope, a relatable character to root for, or an uplifting element that helps them navigate the bleakness of the situation. Unfortunately, “ACIDE” fails to provide any of these, leaving viewers feeling emotionally adrift. It also might not have been a good idea for the filmmaker to populate the already thin plot with irrelevant and uninteresting characters, especially since even good supporting characters are easily killed off.

ACIDE premiered at Festival de Cannes in Midnight Screenings section on 21 May 2023. The film was theatrically released in France on 20 September.