Vulcanizadora is the latest film from Joel Potrykus that had its premiere at Tribeca Film Festival last year. In this film, Potrykus expands a bit from his previous film, Buzzard. I had the opportunity to watch the film last night and will say it was a wild ride. The film stars Joshua Burge and Joel Potrykus as two friends going on a trip. On this trip things start to take a sinister turn and things will never be the same.

I was not really aware of Joel and his previous work going into Vulcanizadora. I’m here to say now after watching the movie I have a huge interest to watch the rest of his filmography. Vulcanizadora is one of those films I had no clue what I was getting into. Theres a subtleness to it that makes its twisted moments that much more impactful. I was speechless at certain turns in the movie and in awe of the amount of tenderness there is to the film.

Joel stars in the film as Derek and Joshua Burges plays Marty. A lot of what makes the film work is the quality of time we spend with these two characters at the beginning of the film. It’s like watching two regular friends just hiking through the woods. There’s a sense that something sinister is lurking beneath and you can’t shake off that dread. All of this tension that Joel creates just has you feeling uneasy as the film progresses. Joel and Joshua have a magnetic force to their performance that really has you connect with both. All of this is perfectly catapulted to the end to make the closing scene that much more impactful.

I do believe if you’ve watched his previous film Buzzard there might be a heightened experience with this one. As someone who hasn’t seen any of Joel’s previous work, I will say this one can stand on its own. Vulcanizadora is truly a film I won’t forget and will continue thinking about for a bit. It’s a film that truly shows the crisis we go through whether it’s a midlife crisis or just existential dread. Portrykus is able to bring that to life in a film that can’t be put in one box. It has its comedy moments that quickly turn dark but also is very dramatic and emotional. I guess the best way to describe it is two friends that try to reason with how life or themselves has betrayed them. It’s truly bleak but also very moving. Vulcanizadora is just one of a kind and a must watch.