“Acidman” is another Oregon-filmed movie about introverted characters who seem to have internally absorbed the damp, cloudy skies and dark, woodsy environment that surrounds them. It’s a category that includes such standout works as “Leave No Trace,” quirky projects such as the Nicolas Cage vehicle “Pig,” and the low-key indie “Lorelai.”
As the latest entry in what you might call the Oregon Moody Overcast genre, “Acidman” is about Maggie (played by Dianna Agron, who TV viewers will remember from “Glee”), a woman who travels 2,000 miles to see her father, Lloyd (played by Thomas Haden Church, of “Sideways” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home”).
Lloyd is an eccentric who, for some reason, left his family years earlier, and is now residing in a humble home in the Oregon woods. Director Alex Lehmann, who co-wrote “Acidman” with Chris Dowling, clearly wants to embrace ambiguity, making us wonder why Lloyd decided to live as a recluse, accompanied only by his dog, in the wilderness.
For most of the film, it’s also not at all clear why Maggie, who appears to be a relatively normal young woman, has decided to come a long way to see a father who hasn’t been in touch with her. Lloyd seems oddly accepting of the fact that Maggie has shown up, and she seems strangely OK with neither of them addressing the weirdness of the situation.
Adding to the weirdness is Lloyd’s obsession with UFOs. He has a habit of heading out in the middle of the night to try and make contact with the red lights he sometimes sees in the sky, and which he’s convinced are signs of interplanetary life.
They knew, Lloyd tells Maggie, that he was “listening,” and he attempts to signal to the aliens using Morse code flashes.
At times, Lloyd seems to be simply set in his ways, but at other times, Maggie worries about her father’s tendency to slip into trances, where he stares into space and doesn’t respond.
Why did Lloyd, who we find out had been an engineer, decide to live in this remote Oregon spot? “It’s a good place to be left alone,” he tells Maggie.
As a character study, “Acidman” leaves us with more questions than insights, but the acting is affectingly understated, and the Oregon scenery helps create a haunting mood. Filmed in 2021, in locations including Azalea, in Douglas County, “Acidman” is slow-paced and at times frustratingly stingy with information. But it’s yet another reminder that rural Oregon is a beautiful place to hang out, even if you’re just watching the night sky.
“Acidman” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022; it’s also available in some theaters, and on demand at such sites as Apple TV, on Friday, March 31.
