Vulcanizadora (dir. Joel Potrykus)

By: Adam Freed

There is something eerie and pathetic roaming the forests of Michigan in writer and director Joel Potrykus’ Vulcanizadora.  The minimalist film earns maximum impact as it trails two middle aged misfits on a meandering walk through the woods in pursuit of something the film does not initially reveal.  Opening with an aggressively charged heavy metal soundtrack, Vulcanizadora (Spanish for tire shop) comfortably plays against expectation as the film’s dual protagonists comedically reveal their ineptitude.  From lost keys, to a childish fascination with fireworks, each passing moment of the rapidly paced film shines a light on the fact that the men are not standing on stable psychological ground.  Potrykus is careful to balance the playful wanderings of his protagonists with the purpose of their pursuit.  Although audiences will spend the bulk of the film’s first 30 minutes awaiting the goal of the voyage, the story unfolds more like a mystery as the answer to the mounting questions feels just beyond the current frame.  

Joel Potrykus, who also plays one of the two leads, carefully lures audiences into the belief that this is a lighthearted, albeit pathetic pursuit, until the true nature of the journey is revealed.  With each passing moment, carefully placed breadcrumbs are dropped within the socially awkward banter that allude to a much more menacing eventuality that the film has to offer.  Most haunting between the two performances is that of co-lead Joshua Burge, who through very few words reveals himself to be an ex-felon who doesn’t appear to be interested in assimilating into polite society any time soon.  As the film unfolds, audiences are in for an unbelievable turn as the voyage of the two men concludes on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan.  Vulcanizadora is an intense study of the power of a tightly crafted script in the hands of a filmmaker willing to take his time in pursuit of a payoff.  The result is Joel Potrykus’ memorable and maniacal Vulcanizadora.     

Target Score: 7.5/10  Vulcanizadora lures its audience into its grasp with a playfully pathetic saunter through the woods between two men who clearly exist outside of society's ideals.  Initially played with sad humor, Joel Potrykus’ film quickly shifts into a story in which the stakes are much higher than initially imagined.    

This capsule review of Vulcanizadora is included in Movie Archer’s coverage of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival.