The Acid House 1999

The film presents a captivating tapestry of three narratives drawn from the book:

In “The Granton Star Cause,” we meet Boab, an aimless slacker enduring a horrendous day. Thrown out of his home by his parents—who wish to indulge in sado-masochism—he finds himself jobless, heartbroken, and benched from his football team. While sulking at a bar, he encounters a vulgar stranger who boldly claims to be God. This deity scolds Boab for his squandered potential and punishes him by transforming him into a housefly. Now in this new form, Boab buzzes through his old haunts, sometimes recognized, as he seeks vengeance on those he believes have wronged him. This segment echoes the themes found in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.

“A Soft Touch” follows Johnny, who finds himself in a hastily arranged marriage with Catriona, a disorderly part-time prostitute. As their daughter Chantal is born, a brash man named Larry moves into the flat above them, complicating Johnny’s life further. With Johnny left to care for Chantal, Catriona begins an affair with Larry, leaving Johnny feeling increasingly exploited and mistreated by both Catriona and Larry. Despite his gentle nature, he struggles to assert himself and escape this cycle of manipulation.

Finally, in “The Acid House,” surrealism weaves a bizarre tale around the themes of marriage, parenthood, and the perils of substance abuse. One fateful night, Coco Brice, a raver, ingests an exceptionally potent dose of acid. His hallucinatory journey coincides with a dramatic bolt of lightning, leading to an unbelievable occurrence where Coco swaps bodies with the newborn child of a middle-class couple, Rory and Jenny. This segment explores the chaotic intersection of altered states and the innocence of infancy, painting a vivid, surreal picture of life’s unpredictability.