Bursting of a fluid film in a viscous environment

The dynamics of break-up of soap films is usually limited by an inertial resistance. We present here experimental results on the retraction of a fluid sheet in a viscous atmosphere. The border of the film is observed to form a rim, which retracts at a constant velocity. Contrasting with usual soap films, the bursting dynamics is limited by the friction arising from the presence of a viscous environment. A simple model is developed to explain these results.