Tribeca Film Review: “Vulcanizadora” a conflicting but uncompromising feature

Joel Potrykus is an interesting filmmaker.

He’s become a modern underground icon, fostering what’s been called the “metal slackerism” genre, showcasing dark comedies of tragic outsiders. His films show deeply uncomfortable but compelling characters avoiding a normal life, relishing in the ennui and isolation of their environment. I admit, I need to explore his work more, but even in his films I’m not crazy about, I find myself compelled by his honesty and intensity. His recent film, Vulcanizadora, is a perfect example of how torn I feel about his work. It’s an ugly and uncompromising vision that I’m not sure if I like, but definitely respect.

Vulcanizadora follows two friends, Marty Jackitansky (Josh Burge) and Derek Skiba (Joel Potrykus), as they wander through the woods together, and while I won’t spoil the payoff, it gets bleak, very bleak. Potrykus is very strong at molding his characters and Vulcanizadora has no exception. He captured his character’s loneliness, regret, and depression perfectly. The film is a sequel to Potrykus’ film Buzzard, and your emotional investment may be based on how much you find his characters endearing. It’s a tough call, as I can easily see an audience that would resonate with these characters. They do feel real and Burge’s and Potrykus’ performances are all excellent. However, what kept me from personally getting them were they were too annoying.

A character being unlikable doesn’t make them bad, but I still need something to invest in. With these two, I found nothing to latch on too, so felt like I was trapped in this movie with these deeply irritating people. The film gets way more interesting in the second half, exhibiting a wider range of humanity, but the buildup was just so unpleasant that it was tough to invest the story. I understand why the characters were so unlikable, as the film did effectively examine their isolation and the struggle to do any good in the wake of their emptiness. I may have enjoyed the film more if it were a short than a full feature, and cut down a bit on the annoying build up.

This is probably a case where I respect the film more than I like it, mostly thanks to the examination in the second half. This is a film that benefits from going in blind, as the impact hits harder not knowing what these characters are doing. Joel Potrykus’s grasp of his characters is impeccable, and I can easily picture a fanbase that would be moved by this film. I’m just not a part of that audience, in my teens and early 20’s I would’ve been. Maybe I’ll rewatch it after diving more into his work and I’ll feel different, but as of now, this film just isn’t for me.