Acadiana is a beautiful object, precious but strange, the kind we tend to classify as “unclassifiable” (those films that create experiences we struggle to put into words). This one is neither a typical anthropological portrait, nor a documentary that interfaces directly with its subjects. While the film treats people with respect in the film, the interests of the talented trio of filmmakers behind it seem to lie elsewhere. The film seems interested in the intangible, in ideas that are difficult to grasp. Whether Acadia or Americana, it investigates the ideas we give ourselves about the places we live and the destinations we imagine. Because the film’s gaze is towards the limits of reality, it transports us to an unattainable otherworld ― one that could dissolve like mist ― where certain subtle visual effects create magic from the film’s images, just as the sound effects and backing music fluctuate between believable ambiance and wild fantasy. What else is America but a place of stark class divisions, even when we’re partying?

Paul Landriau
Director of Programming, Plein(s) Écran(s)