"Do Men Know Peace"? Joel Potrykus' "Vulcanizadora" Explores a Disturbing Friendship
Probing the Realms of Blame and Worry in 'Vulcanizadora'
Ah, the famous mocking query, "Are men okay?" takes a dark, dark turn in Joel Potrykus' "Vulcanizadora". This bleakly amusing—yet quietly disturbing—odyssey follows two hapless, down-on-their-luck boys trekking through the foreboding Michigan woods near Lake Michigan. It's a peculiar, funny-sad friendship that Potrykus portrays with almost unearthly nonjudgmental grace, guiding us into the abyss.
But don't be fooled—this film carries a potent point of view. Potrykus' cinematic playground (forged from indie gems like "Buzzard" and "Relaxer") is a stifling whiff of failure that lingers around men who hide despondency behind a mask of shameless entitlement. Life's challenges are nothing more than video game levels, and their lowest pleasures lie in cheap pranks and reckless pranks.
The great Mel Brooks once quipped, "Tragedy is when I cut my finger, comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." Potrykus, who's made his name with small-scale slacker micro-apocalypses, aims to find a disconcerting, if poetic, middle ground where laughter's tainted by a lingering discomfort, and we can't help but squirm as we watch.
"Vulcanizadora" serves as a 10-year follow-up to "Buzzard," though using 'sequel' feels too materialistic for this humble, DIY indie indulgence. But you don't need that knowledge to grasp who Marty (Joshua Burge's striking, soft-spoken screen presence) and Derek (Potrykus himself, who's a whirlwind of chatty energy) are: they're incompetent campers, madcap nutjobs, tight pals, stunted adolescents, and emotionally bankrupt men driving towards an unknown fate.
Their agreement's details remain a mystery, but Derek's peculiar desires seem to rule the journey: bottle rockets, martial arts playfights, swigging liquor from a canteen, crude porn mags. Marty, struggling with guilt over a recent stint in jail for setting a building ablaze, seems tormented by ghosts from the past. Burge deserves praise for conveying Marty's sour desperation, melting our harsh laughter into sympathy for this forlorn soul.
Potrykus, who was once only a punching bag in "Buzzard," also gives himself a chance to shine in this two-person duel when Derek finally airs his deep regrets, revealing a broken man beneath the Mensa-level mysogyny. Potrykus masterfully mines every anxious interjection to sculpt their minds, ultimately warping them into animalistic howls before transforming them into sad, broken cries.
Fresh with the release of his deep-seated pain, Derek tries to convince his friend that he's found peace. But Marty quickly clarifies that tomorrow, he'll feel wretched all over again. Acknowledging the cycle of pain that binds them, "Vulcanizadora" paints a canvas of complex, twisted friendships that may leave you laughing, repulsed, guilty, and sad—all within a single thought.
'Vulcanizadora'
Not rated.Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes | Playing: Laemmle Noho 7
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Behind the Scenes- "Vulcanizadora" revisits characters from Potrykus' earlier work, "Buzzard," and plunges deeper into the deterioration of their friendship- The film delves into themes of guilt, anxiety, fractured friendships, and maturity, offering insight into the complexities of relationships while grappling with personal issues and the ever-present temptation to abandon one's responsibilities.- Potrykus' cinematic style is characterized by long, unbroken takes and a unique aesthetic, which adds a punk-rock ethos to his filmmaking.- It can be seen as a sequel to "Buzzard," though understanding the earlier film isn't necessary to appreciate "Vulcanizadora"; however, it does enrich the narrative.
- "Vulcanizadora", a follow-up to Joel Potrykus' earlier work, "Buzzard", delves into the deterioration of a friendship, exploring themes of guilt, anxiety, and fractured relationships.
- The film, not rated and running for 1 hour and 25 minutes, is playing at Laemmle Noho 7, offering a unique blend of laughter and pain in an indie presentation.
- Mel Brooks' quote, "Tragedy is when I cut my finger, comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die", mirrors Potrykus' cinematic approach in "Vulcanizadora", where laughter is tainted by discomfort.
- In the Michigan woods, two hapless, down-on-their-luck boys, Marty and Derek, embark on a morbid, funny-sad odyssey, portrayed with nonjudgmental grace by Potrykus.
- Marty, struggling with guilt from a recent stint in jail, and Derek, with his peculiar desires, forge an unconventional friendship that veers between comedic pranks and a darker underside.
- Potrykus, who was once a punching bag in "Buzzard", returns to the screen in "Vulcanizadora", giving a powerful performance that reveals a broken man beneath the layer of misogyny.
