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Dramatizing Disaster: The Flawed Portrayal of Acid Rain in Recent Filmography
Imagine you’re in the heart of the Adirondacks at the peak of autumn. You are in a lodge made solely of pine and nestled beneath a canopy of orange and yellow-hued spruce and beech trees. The lake beside you is perfect for boating, fishing, and enjoying Upstate New York’s peaceful beauty. But now, a sinister transformation has taken hold of the land you’ve known for years. The once pristine spring that provides drinking water starts poisoning your family with lead. The majestic trees that once framed your view are now lackluster. Waves of disease have spread across the forest, turning the world you’ve lived in upside down. Well, this is the reality of Diane Bowes, the owner of Covewood Lodge on Big Moose Lake (Dozier et al. 0:55-3:38).
Acid rain is the silent force that has reshaped Diane Bowes’ once idyllic life. However, acid rain does so much more; it harms aquatic plants and animals by altering water pH levels, disrupts human health, and accelerates the deterioration of infrastructure. The transformation Diane has lived through is dramatic and has high significance. However, instead of sharing stories like this to help inspire viewers to take action against acid rain, recent filmography (2021-2023) skews public perception and understanding of the environmental risks by inaccurately portraying acid rain for entertainment purposes. Until this misrepresentation of acid rain is addressed, there will be a lack of awareness and a lack of action towards ecological preservation.
Acid rain was a household term in the 1980s. It was one of the most well-known environmental issues, frequently appearing on news outlets and in the media. While climate change, global warming, and deforestation have since taken center stage, this doesn’t mean that acid rain has lost its urgency. With a pH between 4.2 and 4.4—moderately acidic—compared to normal rainwater’s pH of 5.0 to 5.5, acid rain is a serious environmental threat. The low pH is the result of emissions such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that come from the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial processes. These chemicals undergo complex reactions in the atmosphere, which then result in sulfuric and nitric acid precipitation as either “wet deposition (rain, snow, cloud, fog) or dry deposition (dry particles, gas)” (“Acid Deposition”). This also means that the consequences of these dangerous emissions can affect ecosystems across large ranges.
The consequences of acid rain can cause plants to lose their leaves, develop visible necrotic signs, and start aging prematurely. Plants are immobile organisms vulnerable to the harsh realities of acid rain. Unable to escape, they are forced to endure the damaging effects. As acid rain flows into streams, ponds, and lakes, the acidity rises, affecting aquatic species. Fish’s gills get clogged, leading to suffocation and death. Invertebrates die, and their reproduction rates drop. Acid rain can turn into inhalable fog, causing respiratory issues and other dry deposition which deteriorates manmade structures. These effects show that acid rain remains a critical matter that demands attention. People need to be aware of the far-reaching and lasting destructive effects to motivate action, but this cannot be done if the media continues to misrepresent the nature of the issue.
Scene 1: Acide
During a heatwave, the temperatures in Paris reached 107 degrees Fahrenheit as clouds started to appear across the skyline. Soon enough, rain 1,000 times more acidic than normal pours down on millions of Parisians, corroding the city and killing off anyone unable to escape (see fig. 1). In a now dystopian landscape, a girl and her divorced parents attempt to escape this “climate catastrophe” (Acide). This is the plot of Acide, a 2023 French-language fantasy drama film directed by Just Philippot. An interview with Pierre Dejon, the film’s director of photography, reveals that one of the movie’s goals is to be anxiety-provoking and suffocating to help bring attention to the acid rain issue (Dejon). This intention is reflected in a Cineuropa review (a website dedicated to reviews of European Cinema), where Acide was described as “gripping,” “harrowing,” and “terrifying.” This critical review continues to say the film “gains a well-deserved spot in a growing filmography addressing climate anxiety” but then says there is a “questionable scientific basis” behind the film (Abbatescianni). A film that can’t accurately portray acid rain should not be used to address pressing issues like climate anxiety.
At the heart of this climate-focused film is a desire to raise awareness about acid rain, but there is a gap between the urgency conveyed on screen and the reality of the problems they depict. The so-called “climate catastrophe” the film creates raises heart rates and draws viewers in, but fails to show acid rain’s most damaging effects. Though Acide has been praised by critics like Cécile Mury from Télérama, who calls it a “disaster film that haunts with its contemporary realism,” and Pierre Dejon, who describes it as “realistic,” labeling it as such is misleading (“Just Philippot”). In truth, the film leans more toward science fiction, distorting the issue of acid rain and spreading exaggerated or inaccurate information, making it far less of a factual portrayal than its creators suggest.
In reality, acid rain’s biggest victim is aquatic environments, including streams, lakes, and marshes. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, acid rainwater leaches aluminum and other soluble elements from the soil which harms fish and other wildlife (“Effects of Acid Rain”). This means that fish eggs won’t hatch, and adult fish will die, leaving ponds and lakes vacant of wildlife. Even at a slightly acidic pH of 6, snails and clams cannot survive, and there will be decreased reproductive success for a variety of fish species. At a pH of 5, bass, crayfish, mayflies, trouts, and salamanders fall to the same fate. A visual accumulation of green algae will appear, and there will be an inhibition of nitrification, which is a vital part of plants’ growth and survival (“Effects of Acid Rain”; “PH Scale”). These acid-sensitive plants and fish will be impacted, and as a result, non-aquatic species like birds will also be affected through the food chain in our interconnected ecosystem.
Acid rain and fog can and will damage our forests, leaving trees and plants more vulnerable to cold temperatures, insects, and disease (Nunez). It will slow the rate of microbiological processes, reducing soil nutrients and stunting the growth of natural vegetation. These effects are especially true for trees at high elevations, which can be seen through Diane’s story and also in the Ore Forests of Germany (see fig. 2) (“Acid Rain”). We need a movie that shows the real dystopia acid rain would create, which includes the suffering done by these plants and animals, none of which was demonstrated in Acide.
Scene 2: Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Three girls stuck in a sequence of death traps thought they finally escaped when they found themselves on what they thought were the streets of New York City, only to find out they were still stuck in this horrifying game. With only 60 seconds on the clock, the girls race to solve mind games and puzzles before the sprinklers above erupt. They find shelter beneath a storefront awning, but acid rain begins to spew from above, and their plastic shelter begins to melt. A drip lands on one of the girls, leaving her with an open wound. The rain momentarily stops, and the girls are forced to solve another puzzle. This time they aren’t so lucky. One girl, safely locked inside a taxi, watches in horror as the acid rain consumes her friends and destroys the cityscape around her (Robitel). As they watch the city melt, it becomes a metaphor for the collapse of their hope. The girls, unable to find protection, embrace each other as the rain disfigures them (see fig. 3). This intense scene comes from Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, a 2021 American survival horror film directed by Adam Robitel. In an interview, director Adam Robitel said that there were “a lot of very cool ways to kill people” in the first film. He continued to say that it was “challenging” to create the elaborate and deadly puzzles (Kelley). The result of this was using acid rain as one of the death traps. While the intent to add suspense and danger in the film is clear, it ultimately distorts a serious real-world issue for the sake of entertainment. Given its PG-13 rating, this approach has the potential to misinform younger viewers. Although thriller films like the Escape Room series often thrive on exaggerated scenarios, filmmakers should focus on real-world hazards that will end up being more realistic and can be just as dramatic.
No matter how much acid rain occurs, it will never be able to melt a city, but it can still damage infrastructure. Limestone buildings and cars would be blemished (Nunez and Woodfall). Statues, monuments, and tombstones would become defaced and dirtied. This is because acid rain can create acidic dust particles, which is called dry deposition. The nitric and sulfuric acids in the particles can damage surfaces, corrode metal, and deteriorate paint and stone (“Effects of Acid Rain”). These damages would set a nightmarish scene and could be used to paint a more realistic picture of what acid rain would do to the future.
Scene 3: The Fall of The House of Usher
Guests at a lavish VIP nightclub are immersed in the thrill of their masquerade party when disaster strikes. The water raining down, intended to intensify the party, reveals itself as acid rain. The electricity flickers, casting shadows on the faces of the dying people. People scream as their flesh melts, and the locked doors prevent their escape (Flanagan). Their lifeless bodies lay decimated on the ground (see fig.4). This scene is found in episode two of the miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher, which is a 2023 American gothic horror-drama television miniseries created by Mike Flanagan. Visual effects supervisor Marshall Krasser mentioned in an interview that their inspiration for the visuals of the deaths came from acid being poured onto a chicken leg, which resulted in bubbling and smoke. These effects gave the uncomfortable and nauseating feel that they were going for, but it misinforms viewers about what acid rain is. Krassar said that “the goal for this effect was to depict highly realistic, believable acid burning into flesh – not fantasy,” but that is the exact opposite of what this scene is doing (Hurst).
Realistically, acid rain will never harm human skin in the way that The Fall of the House of Usher makes it seem. Acid rain has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4, making it moderately acidic. However, everyday substances like soda (pH 2.5), orange juice (pH 3), and tomatoes (pH 4) are all more acidic than acid rain (“PH Scale”). This means that walking in acid rain or even swimming in it would not harm our skin, let alone cause it to dissolve. However, that doesn’t mean that acid rain cannot harm humans. The pollutants responsible for acid rain (such as sulfur dioxide (SO?) and nitrogen oxides (NO?)) can pose serious health risks when they enter the atmosphere. One way this happens is when acid precipitation turns into an inhalable fog. This can cause eye irritation and worsen respiratory conditions like asthma (Nunez and Woodfall). Additionally, inhaling it can potentially lead to respiratory and cardiovascular problems. There is also a link between these pollutants and an increased risk of heart attacks and lung issues (“Effects of Acid Rain”). Acid rain poses serious health risks that people should be afraid of, so if there are going to be cautionary tales about acid rain’s dangers, shouldn’t they be accurate?
Acid rain is a powerful tool used in these films, yet its portrayal rarely goes beyond a visual spectacle. While this cinematic device holds great potential, its power is diminished by the over-dramatization. Sometimes these films have the right motives, yet still fall short of accurately displaying the climate crisis at hand. What is concerning is that films like this continue to be produced and even labeled as “realistic,” when in reality they rarely provide any truthful information. Deceiving people in this way can mislead them about the severity of an issue or the effectiveness of solutions, and they may underestimate the urgency of addressing it. If people don’t know what acid rain does, they will not have the motivation to support policies or make lifestyle changes that could mitigate the damage. To effectively educate and empower audiences, media portrayals must reflect acid rain’s literal consequences. Acid rain devastates ecosystems by damaging plants and wildlife, threatens human health through contaminated air and water, and accelerates the deterioration of buildings and infrastructure. Instead of showing any of this, all three films have dramatic scenes of acid rain leading to deaths or creating widespread destruction. How can we get people to pay attention to the real horrors of acid rain? How can we make that movie? Because it needs to be made.
Author: Sela Horowitz
Taking a class called “Water Writing” was not something I ever imagined I would take, and it was very different compared to my primarily business-focused coursework. But in Dr. Lowell Duckert’s ENGL110, curiosity was encouraged, and we examined accounts of environmental awareness and injustice, learning how water flows through everything: our bodies, our communities, and our history.
Dr. Duckert’s class pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to engage with topics I hadn’t anticipated developing such a strong interest in. The more I researched topics like aquatic ecosystems, soil chemistry, and air pollution, the more I developed an interest in this topic. I brought this growing concern together with my interest in dramatic dystopian media to write my essay, where I critiqued how popular films exaggerate and misrepresent acid rain, turning a real environmental issue into a dramatic plot device. I’ve always loved watching dystopian movies, not for their realism, but because they’re intense, dramatic, and full of chaos. I know they’re fictional, and I don’t watch them expecting perfect scientific accuracy, but when real issues like acid rain are distorted beyond recognition, it starts to feel problematic. It can send the wrong message about serious environmental problems and make it easier for people to shrug them off as exaggerated or not worth worrying about. At the end of my essay, I conclude that environmental films can still be dramatic, but scientifically correct too. Finding that balance between drama and scientific truth doesn’t have to take away from the story; if anything, it can make it more powerful.
I learned from Dr. Duckert’s course that water isn’t just a substance or something to write about, but it can be used as a lens to examine systems of injustice and interconnection. The research and writing I did in this class and my paper taught me to think more critically and approach topics from perspectives I wouldn’t normally consider right away. It was through this way of thinking that I was able to write a paper that challenged me and ultimately became something I’m truly proud to have created.
Instructor: Lowell Duckert
One goal of the course (“Water Writing”) is to consider writing’s potential to reshape contemporary environmental troubles. But how can words contribute to place-based debates at present and help imagine, even bring about, wet worlds more thriving and just? The research essay assignment invites students to explore these questions via an ecological subject of their choice. Matthew Schneider-Mayerson and Brent Ryan Bellamy, the editors of An Ecotopian Lexicon (2019), argue that keywords “offe[r] . . . conceptual tools to help us imagine how to adapt and flourish in the face of socioecological adversity.” Students select one environmental issue (either ongoing or historical) from anywhere in the world; then, they pick a word not in the collection that “imagines” said issue in similar ways—it could either challenge, confront, or expand it. The months-long research process runs like so: a brief paraphrase of their word’s etymology; a proposal and annotated bibliography; a five-page draft; a peer review workshop; and a seven-page final. I also ask them to title their essay in a way that signals the world or worlds they desire to see. Sela’s word, you will soon discover, was “dramatize.” Read on about acid rain . . .
Works Cited
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“Acid Deposition.” Ecological Society of America, 2000, https://www.esa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/aciddeposition.pdf. Accessed 12 May 2024.
Acide. Directed by Just Philippot, Pathé, 2023.
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Dejon, Pierre. Acid, a deadly irritating movie shot by Pierre Dejon with ZEISS Supreme Primes. 12 May 2024. LENSPIRE Cinematography, https://lenspire.zeiss.com/cine/en/article/acid.
Dozier, Matt , et al. “Episode 9: What Happened to Acid Rain?” Energy.gov, 2016, www.energy.gov/podcasts/direct-current-energygov-podcast/episode-9-what-happened-acid-rain. Accessed 6 Dec. 2024.
“Effects of Acid Rain.” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects-acid-rain. Accessed 30 October 2024.
“The Masque of the Red Death.” The Fall of the House of Usher, created and directed by Mike Flanagan, episode 2, 12 Oct. 2023. Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/title/81414665.
Fremont, Maggie. “The Fall of the House of Usher Episode 2 Recap: How Does Perry Die?” Tudum, 12 October 2023, https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-episode-2-recap. Accessed 29 October 2024.
Hermanns, Grant, et al. “The Fall of the House of Usher VFX Supervisor On Brutality Of Mike Flanagan’s Edgar Allan Poe Show.” Screen Rant, 27 October 2023, https://screenrant.com/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-vfx-supervisor-marshall-krasser-interview/. Accessed 31 October 2024.
Hurst, Adriene. “FuseFX Moves Over to the Dark Side for ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’.” Digital Media World, 30 Dec. 2023, https://www.digitalmediaworld.tv/in-depth/fusefx-moves-over-to-the-dark-side-for-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher.
Kelley, Sonaiya. “Designing ‘Escape Room 2’: How they made four key sets in ‘Tournament of Champions.’” Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2021, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-07-16/escape-room-2-spoilers-maze-designs. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
Mury, Cécile. “Le réalisateur Just Philippot : ‘’Acide’ s’est nourri de toutes les crises qu’on a traversées.’” Télérama, 21 Sept. 2023, https://www.telerama.fr/cinema/le-realisateur-just-philippot-acide-s-est-nourri-de-toutes-les-crises-qu-on-a-traversees-7017247.php. Accessed 30 October 2024.
Nunez, Christina, and David Woodfall. “Acid rain, explained.” National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2019, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/acid-rain. Accessed 30 October 2024.
“PH Scale: Acids, Bases, and Common Materials.” Stanford Advanced Materials, 25 October 2024, https://www.samaterials.com/ph-acids-bases-and-common-materials.html. Accessed 3 December 2024.
Robitel, Adam, director. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. Columbia Pictures, 2021.