ACID
How far would you go for revenge?
An upper-class photographer’s girlfriend is disfigured in an acid attack, so he infiltrates the gang responsible, to take revenge.
SYNOPSIS
NERO DRAKOS is an arrogant, privileged 20 year old, who thinks the world owes him everything; and with his wealthy, connected family; and his beautiful model girlfriend, ALISHA, it’s hard to disagree. But when Nero and Alisha are caught in an acid attack, Alisha not only loses her face, but Nero also loses his voice as he is rendered mute – forcing him to tear down his old life.
Nero is hell-bent on revenge, so he infiltrates the gang that perpetrated the attack. But, he soon realises that the animals that hurt him have a human side, as they accept him as one of their own. Nero finds himself conflicted between taking revenge or discovering the truth behind the attack, as he is thrust into an underworld of crime, fear and depravity.
Acid is a violent, unrelenting thriller that hits at the social and moral issues of class, legacy and vengeance, with a relevant premise based around modern urban terrorism. A gritty gangster tale of a privileged boy, who is thrown into the London underworld, and slowly becomes unhinged as he fights to keep hold of his humanity – it’s Taxi Driver meets This Is England.
CHARACTERS
NERO DRAKOS
A privileged, arrogant, 20 year old, who has grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth and now is complacent about his beautiful model girlfriend, Alisha. Nero has everything handed to him, and even when he shows mediocre work as a photographer, his rich uncle Darius still pays for his gallery shows. Nero looks up to his uncle, and sees his success and power as something to aspire to, unlike his alcoholic father George. The only tragedy in his life is that Nero lost his mother to suicide at a young age, a misfortune he blames on George’s weakness.
When Nero loses his voice in an acid attack, he is forced to get down in the dirt with the rest of humanity and fight for his girlfriend, his family and his life. He realises that privilege and money can’t make him whole and that he needs to learn the truth about his mother’s suicide and get revenge for Alisha all whilst getting out from under the thumb of his uncle.
GEORGE DRAKOS
Nero’s father, 50, A cowardly, forlorn drinker, who has spent his entire life in the shadow of his older brother Darius. George’s wife, Elle, killed herself because of Darius, and George lost all control, falling into drink and despair, unable to reconcile the loss of Elle, and barely keeping hold of his son. However, George knows much more than he is letting on about the suicide and these dark secrets are what drive his every action.
DARIUS DRAKOS
Neros, uncle, 40s, an imposing, stately, patriarch of the Drakos family. He made his own money dragging himself up from the dirt after immigrating to England and believes he owes nothing to anyone. His sole goal is to use his power and influence to promote his own needs and those of his family and he will stop at nothing to see the Drakos name succeeds without contamination from the outside.
Seemingly calm and level-headed, Darius acts as Nero’s benefactor and mentor, but the secrets of the Drakos family are slowly floating to the surface.
ALISHA
An enticing, charming model in her early 20s, with relentless ambition. Her two loves in life are modelling and Nero and they seem to go hand in hand, but when she unexpectedly falls pregnant, and is caught in an acid attack, the secrets of how she rose through the modelling world threaten to appear.
After being disfigured, she does everything she can to keep Nero from knowing the truth that would shatter his world and put him in harm’s way, but Nero’s determination might prove too much.
MACCA
A jovial, personable, likable, giant of a 19 year old, he grew up in the back-ends of the street, son to a blind, old-school gangster. Macca is forced into the gang-life, but still keeps an optimistic outlook. Willing to make light of any situation and dreaming in his heart to one day be free from the harsh life he leads.
He is the first person to accept Nero into the crew and becomes Nero’s friend and guide through the harrowing life they lead.
VIPER
The fierce, determined leader of a crew of young lads who are willing to do anything for money, respect and honour. He lost his father at a young age to gang violence and since then was groomed to replace him and carry on his legacy. He has no care for his life and expects to be dead within a few years, making him particularly dangerous, especially to Nero, who has to get close to Viper to understand the truth of the acid attack.
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