Acetate

Some films aren't meant to be screened. They are meant to be survived. Felix Dredge is a custodian of the forgotten. Working in the sub-zero sub-basement of the Holloway Film Archive, he battles the slow, chemical death of history known as "Vinegar Syndrome." His life is a quiet cycle of splicing, cleaning, and cataloging "Orphan Works"—reels found in attics and demolition sites with no known owners. But when a rusted canister labeled "The Searing (1923)" arrives, the routine breaks. The film smells violently of ammonia and rot, and its emulsion is unusually thick and reddish. As Felix threads it through the analyzer, the projector's arc lamp triggers a dormant chemical reaction. The film doesn't just show a scene; it projects a "thermal phantom," releasing a hallucinogenic gas that forces the viewer to relive the agony recorded on the strip. Felix discovers that the film stock itself was created from the boiled-down remains of the filmmaker's victims. They are the medium. And as the loop tightens, Felix spots a terrified figure in the background of the vintage footage: himself. He is no longer just watching the movie. He is being edited into it.