As kids, we all aspired to know a little bit about UFOs and embark on adventures around the world with nothing holding us back. Surprisingly, many grownups have this fantasy as well. The upcoming film Acidman builds on this idea while highlighting family values and the special bond between a father and daughter. Although fans expected the film to have a distinct science fiction concept before seeing the trailer, it did not disappoint as the actors played their roles to perfection.
Acidman is a science fiction drama film directed by Alex Lehman and stars actors such as Thomas Haden Church and Diana Agron. The film had its world premiere in the Spotlight section of the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival on June 10 and received an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics applauding Haden Church's performance. With that said, viewers have high expectations for the film, and here's everything we know so far about Acidman.
Acidman: The Plot
According to the official trailer, Acidman follows Maggie as she searches for her father, Llyod, who has been living far away from her, immersed in a different world. Concerned about her father's well-being, she eventually discovers him living in a house in the middle of nowhere, looking for UFOs. The townspeople have named him "Acidman" because they think he's insane, but Llyod is too busy enjoying his life to care. Maggie learns from the conversation that he prefers to be left alone, but she is hesitant to abandon him in this manner, so she follows along with him for a few days.
Once he claims to have seen UFOs in the sky, Maggie decides to make him happy instead of labeling him crazy. They go fishing together, detect UFOs at midnight, and scare away the annoying teenagers who continuously bother Lloyd. She finally gets tired of it and wishes for her father to recover from his delusions. Later, when Maggie confronts him about it, he denies everything and tells Maggie that UFOs are attempting to contact them and that they should respond.
As a last-ditch effort, she agrees to go on another adventure to discover their true selves, during which Maggie admits that she has run away from home. While the question of whether or not aliens have contacted Llyod remains unresolved, the father and daughter will learn a lot about themselves on their journey.
According to critics who saw the film's premiere the previous year, it appears to be strongly family-oriented, with the characters evoking how parents and children interact as they grow older.
Acidman: The Cast & Crew
Aside from the limited appearances of the supporting cast, Acidman is centered on three characters. Maggie's father, Llyod, will be played by Thomas Haden Church. After making his film debut in 1989 with Protect and Surf, the actor was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Sideways. Subsequently, he played Sandman (Flint Marko) in Spider-Man 3 and reprised the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Aside from these, he is well-known for his roles as Mr. Griffith in Easy A, Robert in Divorce, Ned Dorcey in Ned and Stacey, and Chet Masterson in Zombie Roadkill. In an interview with Salon, Thomas Haden Church elaborated on his role in the film. As he put it,
"I have to give a significant measure of credit to writer/director Alex Lehmann. Alex, Dianna [Agron] and I started having conversations about "Acidman" in the summer of 2020, but we did not shoot the picture until about a year ago. What I brought to the table was a story about this man who lived in Alabama that was a presence in my writing partner's life when he was growing up. The guy was a WWII-decorated veteran who existed in this rural community. My writing partner, David, told me about this guy over the last 30-plus years — his name was Lloyd. I started telling Alex the stories that David had being relayed to me. And Alex said, "I think we have a keyhole to how we can ground the character for you." We started weaving that tapestry together — things I knew about this person, but also how Alex saw the character of Lloyd. It is a personal story for Alex as well."
Maggie, played by Dianna Agron, is a daughter who tries to bring her estranged father back to his senses. She is a seasoned actress best known for her role as Quinn Fabray in the Fox musical-comedy drama series Glee, which aired from 2009 to 2015. She also appeared in various well-known films and television shows, including Burlesque, I Am Number Four, The Family, and The Romantics. Aside from these two characters, Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris, best known for her appearance in Sharp Objects, seems to have a significant role in the film, assisting Maggie in getting her father back.
Acidman is directed and co-written by Alex Lehman, with Chris Dowling sharing the writing credits. While Alex has previously helmed movies like Blue Jay, Paddleton, and Asperger's Are Us, Chris has written scripts for The Man from Nowhere, Blue Miracle, The World We Make, and Day 37. Meanwhile, the film's music was composed by Christopher French, best known for his work on Modern Love Tokyo and Young & Hungry.
Release Date
The upcoming science fiction film Acidman will hit theaters later this month on Mar. 31.