Not since The Lord of the Rings has there been a greater cinematic journey; two people traversing a devastating landscape in hopes of a grander purpose. Jokes aside, it takes a special filmmaker to be able to tell such a singular idea with the elegance and grace of Joel Potrykus. With a title like Vulcanizadora, Potrykus crafts an unbelievably weird and irreverent piece of historical cinema, an improvisational nightmare that will echo through your brain like a homemade firecracker. What is it about Potrykus’s unofficial Buzzard sequel that just checks the correct boxes?
Following Marty and Derek’s Chaotic Trek
Vulcanizadora is a sequel, of sorts, to Potrykus’s 2014 punk rock epic Buzzard. It follows, ten years later, Marty Jackitansky (Joshua Burge) and Derek Skiba (Joel Potrykus) as they traverse through the woods. Their overall goal is unclear, but what is clear is the stakes on the line. Constantly teetering the line between a buddy travel movie and a deep psychological study of two severely effed-up people, Vulcanizadora tests the mettle of Marty, Derek, and you.
Joel Potrykus is a fascinating human. His films cover the gamut from downright weird to conspiracy horror, and everything in between. His latest film is the most Potrykus-like yet. From the unsettling stillness of forced and prolonged pacing, to truly irreverent dialogue, Vulcanizadora is a fever dream, packed into a tight little package. While this film doesn’t go too extreme or over the top in obscure ways, there’s a level of growth that’s precluded by everything before. It feels like a culmination of a life’s work, wrapped into one gratuitously exciting gift.
The Potrykus–Burge Dynamic Reaches a New Peak
Potrykus and Burge come together for another film, marking a tipping point in their creative collaborations. Rather than taking the main stage, Burge is content to sit in the background as a morally corrupt compass—a man with nothing to lose. Marty lets Derek take the reigns, even if Derek is a loose Godsmack-quoting cannon. While all of Potrykus’s work has felt incredibly raw and authentic, Vulcanizadora shocks viewers with an incredibly authentic character study of two truly damaged people.
It’s not super necessary to watch Buzzard before going into Vulcanizadora, but it won’t hurt. Knowing the patented Potrykus weirdness won’t prepare you for this straightforwardly outlandish hour-and-a-half trek through the psyche of an arsonist. There is definitely more under the surface than meets the eye, though the biggest takeaway is cops hate paperwork. Vulcanizadora feels like one of Potrykus’s most personal projects and digs into many layers of emotions that his other films don’t necessarily dig too deeply into. Fans of the filmmaker will be delighted with this explosive feature, while first-time Potrykus viewers will be transported into an unexpecting world where obscurity reigns supreme.
