Life comes for us all, even slacker filmmakers. Michigan-based indie stalwart Joel Potrykus has always explored loneliness in his work, but his latest, “Vulcanizadora,” plumbs a particular middle-aged variant. This is the alienation of divorced dads becoming estranged from their kids; the existential hell of knowing that you’ve made mistakes and that there’s nothing you can do to change them. In some ways, this is Potrykus’ version of “No Exit.”
To underline the passage of time, “Vulcanizadora” revives the characters Potrykus and his muse Joshua Burge played in 2014’s “Buzzard.” Ten years later, Marty Jackitansky (Burge) and Derek Skiba (Potrykus) are the same overgrown adolescents they once were, even as their circumstances have changed. Sometime in the past decade, Derek got married, had a kid, and then got divorced. Meanwhile, Marty’s petty crimes have escalated, with consequences that are harder to escape than those of his check-fraud scheme in “Buzzard.
To underline the passage of time, “Vulcanizadora” revives the characters Potrykus and his muse Joshua Burge played in 2014’s “Buzzard.” Ten years later, Marty Jackitansky (Burge) and Derek Skiba (Potrykus) are the same overgrown adolescents they once were, even as their circumstances have changed. Sometime in the past decade, Derek got married, had a kid, and then got divorced. Meanwhile, Marty’s petty crimes have escalated, with consequences that are harder to escape than those of his check-fraud scheme in “Buzzard.
- 6/9/2024
- by Katie Rife
- Indiewire
Vulcanizadora, the latest film from Grand Rapids-based guerilla filmmaker Joel Potrykus, is predicated on a conceit that’s faithful to his overarching artistic interests. Two volatile buddies (Potrykus muse Joshua Burge and Potrykus himself) embark on an extended hike to a remote beach, where they plan to execute a plan fit for a Faces of Deathsequel. While the complicated lives they’ve seemingly fled—a pending jail sentence and the crushing weight of having lost child custody—suggest warranted comeuppance, the men nevertheless retreat into childishness. They set off snake fireworks, gorge themselves on convenience […]
The post “We Had a Real Permit For Once in Our Lives”: Joel Potrykus on His Tribeca-Premiering Vulcanizadora first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Had a Real Permit For Once in Our Lives”: Joel Potrykus on His Tribeca-Premiering Vulcanizadora first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 6/8/2024
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Vulcanizadora, the latest film from Grand Rapids-based guerilla filmmaker Joel Potrykus, is predicated on a conceit that’s faithful to his overarching artistic interests. Two volatile buddies (Potrykus muse Joshua Burge and Potrykus himself) embark on an extended hike to a remote beach, where they plan to execute a plan fit for a Faces of Deathsequel. While the complicated lives they’ve seemingly fled—a pending jail sentence and the crushing weight of having lost child custody—suggest warranted comeuppance, the men nevertheless retreat into childishness. They set off snake fireworks, gorge themselves on convenience […]
The post “We Had a Real Permit For Once in Our Lives”: Joel Potrykus on His Tribeca-Premiering Vulcanizadora first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “We Had a Real Permit For Once in Our Lives”: Joel Potrykus on His Tribeca-Premiering Vulcanizadora first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 6/8/2024
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Beloved indie filmmaker Joel Potrykus is back onscreen in a multi-hyphenate array of roles for his latest feature, “Vulcanizadora.”
Billed as a dark comedy, “Vulcanizadora” follows two friends, played by Potrykus and Joshua Burge, who embark on a disturbing mission in the Michigan woods to fulfill a disturbing pact. After they fail, one of them must return home to deal with the surreal legal and emotional repercussions after the plan ultimately unravels. Bill Vincent and Solo Potrykus co-star.
“Relaxer” filmmaker Joel Potrykus writes, directs, edits, and leads the feature, which is produced by Hannah Dweck, Matt Grady, Ashley Potrykus, and Theodore Schaefer, with Daniel Berger as an associate producer and Kevin Clancy co-producing. The film is shot in 16mm.
“To me, ‘Vulcanizadora’ is my most personal and my bleakest work,” Potrykus told IndieWire. “It has a weird tone that I’ve been trying to hit for a long time. It...
Billed as a dark comedy, “Vulcanizadora” follows two friends, played by Potrykus and Joshua Burge, who embark on a disturbing mission in the Michigan woods to fulfill a disturbing pact. After they fail, one of them must return home to deal with the surreal legal and emotional repercussions after the plan ultimately unravels. Bill Vincent and Solo Potrykus co-star.
“Relaxer” filmmaker Joel Potrykus writes, directs, edits, and leads the feature, which is produced by Hannah Dweck, Matt Grady, Ashley Potrykus, and Theodore Schaefer, with Daniel Berger as an associate producer and Kevin Clancy co-producing. The film is shot in 16mm.
“To me, ‘Vulcanizadora’ is my most personal and my bleakest work,” Potrykus told IndieWire. “It has a weird tone that I’ve been trying to hit for a long time. It...
- 6/4/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
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